The structural whiteness of academic patronage

ABSTRACT

In this essay, we describe the protest cycle that begins when scholars from the margins make demands on an institution or on the discipline for changes to ameliorate structural inequalities and offer two interventions related to the gridlock described above. First, we chart the patronage dynamic that produces pathological economies of liberal reform in the field of rhetoric. And second, we present possible solutions to break those cycles to produce a more equitable academic culture. We ultimately argue for divesting from cis-hetero whiteness and masculinity, particularly as it is sedimented in the distributed academic property rights through which white scholars retain control over disciplinary boundaries, publication decisions, faculty hiring, and tenure and promotion.