title
coverimage
Presumed Incompetent
Edited by Gabriella
Gutiérrez y Muhs,
Yolanda Flores Niemann,
Carmen G. González,
Angela P. Harris
7x10, 588 pages
published: 2012

ISBN 978-0-87421-922-7
paper $36.95

ISBN 978-0-87421-870-1
e-book $30.00

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author
Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs
(M.A and PhD. Stanford University, 2000) is associate professor of modern languages and women studies at Seattle University.

author
Yolanda Flores Niemann
(Ph.D., Psychology, 1992, University of Houston) is senior vice provost and professor of psychology at the University of North Texas.

author
Carmen G. González
(J.D. 1988, Harvard Law School) is professor of law at Seattle University.

author
Angela P. Harris
(J.D. 1986, University of Chicago) is professor of law at UC Davis.

Presumed Incompetent

The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia

Edited by Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, Yolanda Flores Niemann, Carmen G. González, Angela P. Harris

Interview with Carmen G. Gonzılez Feministing May 13, 2013 / Gwendolyn

Book Review London School of Economics (LSE) Review of Books April 2013 / Sin Yee Koh

Book Review Women in Higher Education, March 2013 / Sarah Gibbard Cook

Book Review Inside Higher Ed, March 5, 2013 / Afshan Jafar

Book Review Huffington Post Books, March 4, 2013 / Khanh Ho, Writer, Scholar, Activist

Book Review Choice Editor's Pick Choice, v.50, no. 07, March 2013 / R. Price, Duquesne University

Book Review La Bloga Sunday, December 2012 / Amelia ML Montes

"Women in academia still face obstacles built up over centuries, but the contributors to Presumed Incompetent have taken a leap toward liberation. Their revelations will enrage you—and open minds and hearts."
—Gloria Steinem

"Presumed Incompetent is undeniably a path-breaking book full of stories of resilience and survival. The editors of this magnificent collection attest to the power of storytelling and add to the testimonios of women in academia such as Telling to Live and Paths to Discovery. Each and every one of the authors survived and in telling their stories they offer hope and solace for young women scholars entering the academy."
—Norma E. Cantú

"This book felt so painfully familiar I almost could not read it. Those of us who started our careers as firsts and onlys have had to forget much about the cruelty hidden in academic enclaves. Forgetting, a means of surviving, buries pain and erases history, leaving us morally and intellectually flimsy. Thanks to these women for taking the harder path of truth-telling."
—Mari Matsuda

"Exploding the myth that we live in a "post-identity" world, Presumed Incompetent provides gripping first-hand accounts of the ways in which women faculty of color are subjected to stereotypes, fears and fantasies based on the intersection of race, gender, and class. It reminds us that the mere passage of time is not enough to create equitable workplaces for anyone facing institutional subordination."
—Kimberlé Crenshaw

Presumed Incompetent is a pathbreaking account of the intersecting roles of race, gender, and class in the working lives of women faculty of color. Through personal narratives and qualitative empirical studies, more than 40 authors expose the daunting challenges faced by academic women of color as they navigate the often hostile terrain of higher education, including hiring, promotion, tenure, and relations with students, colleagues, and administrators. The narratives are filled with wit, wisdom, and concrete recommendations, and provide a window into the struggles of professional women in a racially stratified but increasingly multicultural America.