[INDOLOGY] Sexism and Bias on INDOLOGY governing committee

Thu Apr 4 08:45:17 UTC 2019

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I have been heartened to see the supportive responses by many on this
listserv. It means a lot to see my colleagues - some of whom rarely or
never post on this list - trying to honestly grapple with our problems,
make sense of bias and its many forms, and talk about possible steps for
improvement. Going forward, I hope that we follow up on John Nemec's
suggestion to gather data about women in PhD programs (and, perhaps, job
placement thereafter, since hiring processes often involve gender bias in
the profession). I also draw attention to Herman Tull's observation that
many female Sanskritists opt out of this forum; I hope that we continue to
try to change the listserv so that more women find it a welcoming forum.

Thus far, the INDOLOGY governing committee has taken no steps to address
our problems with sexism and bias. I and others have made concrete
suggestions, and we have been met with silence. Two members of the
governing committee (besides myself) have e-mailed during this discussion;
neither response made any attempt to address the concerns of bias and
sexism raised by myself and other list members. This is unsurprising.
Inaction and flat denial of any problem are quite common responses when
women come forward with the dark side of what we face in the academy.

I suggest, again, the following concrete steps ought to be taken by the
INDOLOGY governing committee.
(1) Gender Parity. Numerous people have supported a call for gender parity
on the INDOLOGY governing committee (currently a 2:1 male:female ratio).
Let's move forward with that, now, and add 2 women.
(2) Dealing with Bias. It is unacceptable to go forward with the same
structures in place that have resulted in me experiencing, in my view,
sexist treatment, for months without recourse. We need a better system. I
have suggested conducting committee business openly or shaking up
membership on the committee. Jason Birch suggested a grievance system with
an outside mediator. We could do all of those things, or some of them. A
key point is this: The INDOLOGY governing committee needs to be committed
to taking action and showing leadership in openly trying to implement some
of these suggestions and thereby make the governing committee and the list
a more equitable place.

There has been ample support demonstrated by list members for action on
issues of possible bias on the INDOLOGY governing committee and also
interest in openly discussing, on the INDOLOGY list, a wide range of issues
concerning sexism and discrimination. I thank those who have spoken up thus
far, and I invite everyone else to please join us in making our small
corner of the academy a more equitable place.

All the best,

Audrey

Audrey Truschke
Assistant Professor
Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark
Audrey Truschke
Assistant Professor
Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

On Thu, Apr 4, 2019 at 7:21 AM Michael Brattus Jones <mbjones at utexas.edu>
wrote:

> Dear List,
>
>
> I support parity on the governing board. It would be a small action with a
> great effect, and I don't believe I've read any arguments directly against
> it.
>
>
> I happen to follow Dr. Truschke on Twitter and I've seen the terrible
> abuses she endures there, as a result of discussing her academic work. I'm
> not comparing this forum with that one, but it does underscore the need for
> this forum to strive to seem as safe a place as possible, whether or not
> people see eye to eye on any specific issues.
>
>
> Thank you,
>
> Michael Brattus Jones, Ph.D.
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 12:56 AM Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
>> Dear Friends and Colleagues,
>>
>> I am writing to call your attention to the entrenched, worsening sexism I
>> have been experiencing on the INDOLOGY governing committee over the past
>> year or so (I have served on the committee for six years). Other committee
>> members have warned me not to publicly discuss the bullying and abuse that
>> I have faced from them in private. I break my silence and go against their
>> explicit instructions here.
>>
>> I have repeatedly faced sexism within the INDOLOGY governing committee,
>> ranging from patronizing comments to silencing of discussions about bias to
>> overtly different standards applied to male and female members of the
>> committee and list. I have tried many times to raise these issues
>> internally among the committee and privately with specific individuals. I
>> have been met with blanket denials, belittling of my concerns, declarations
>> that discussing sexism is not a substantive issue, accusations of being a
>> troublemaker, and flat out refusals to discuss gender issues. Indology as a
>> discipline has deep-seated issues with male privilege, discrimination
>> against female scholars, and even outright misogyny. The issues within
>> INDOLOGY's male-dominated governing committee are arguably a reflection of
>> this larger set of problems that systematically drives women out of the
>> discipline. If Indology or INDOLOGY are going to survive in any worthwhile
>> form, we must face our ongoing issues of sexism and bias. I have made
>> numerous suggestions to the INDOLOGY governing committee in this regard,
>> including striving for gender parity on the committee by adding more female
>> members, conducting committee business more openly as a check on bullying,
>> and undergoing bias training. I hope the committee follows up on these
>> suggestions. But, to date, I have seen only a desire to circle the wagons
>> and deny bias, rather than any serious attempt to make the committee or the
>> list a more equitable place.
>>
>> Last week, following another case where I documented and called out a
>> committee member for acting with bias, that committee member wrote that if
>> he were in my position, he would consider resigning from the committee. In
>> other words, if I find members of the INDOLOGY committee discriminate
>> against women, then I should bow out. I find that suggestion highly
>> inappropriate, and I do not acquiesce to it here. But I will no longer
>> serve as a punching bag for men who insist I keep quiet.
>>
>> I expect to face significant pushback and recriminations for shedding
>> light on the dark underbelly of the INDOLOGY governing committee. But,
>> unlike many of my fellow committee members, I think that this is an issue
>> for the list at large. Many of us, myself included, find scholarly value in
>> this listserv. But knowledge exists within power structures, and I find
>> that I can no longer stomach what I have to overlook in order to quietly
>> run this forum. I think it is time for us to talk about the key issues of
>> bias and sexism facing our discipline that make women unwelcome at every
>> turn, including in running this listserv.
>>
>> All the best,
>>
>> Audrey
>>
>> Audrey Truschke
>> Assistant Professor
>> Department of History
>> Rutgers University-Newark
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>

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