Minority Experience Reading List

The field of Physics is often regarded as the oldest and most fundamental of the physical sciences, and through it, we have come to accept universal truths about the world we live in. The history of mankind and scientific discovery has overwhelmingly been taught as the history of the White Western Man, and the pursuit of science was a privilege only afforded to those of the foregoing title. Einstein, Maxwell, Feynman, and others are regarded as intellectual giants in the field while the contributions and pursuits of marginalized people have been and continue to be suppressed, dismissed, and neglected. Physics has an exclusionary history–we sanctified a narrow list of flawed idols as pioneers of humanity’s progress and from them idealized a myopic vision of the perfect physicist. This vision perpetuates discriminatory and biased internal power structures, leading to white supremacy, misogyny, anti-queerness, ableism, and the likes of prejudice in Physics that is now a familiar reality to many physicists from marginalized groups. For all, it is the unfortunate continuation of historic structural inequality invading the modern workspace.

The ARMS team has assembled the sources below which provide insight into the experiences of minorities in physics, academia, and the broader scientific community. The mission of ARMS and the Minority Experience Reading List is to educate the reader on the alienation of marginalized identities in the Physical Sciences. Our hope is that the reader understands that acknowledging minority experiences is the first step in diversity and inclusion work. For those with a desire to learn with an open mind, we encourage you to make use of the resources listed below.

For questions, comments, or concerns contact us at spsucsandiego@gmail.com.

“In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” - Angela Davis

"To be able to understand a lack, a norm has to be understood... the norm against which women of color are measuring their arrival is the master norm of white male hegemony... The master norm itself is invisible; the master norm is of nonsubstance; and the master norm is unreachable because it does not exist as a fixed entity. The master norm is visible only through its effects, through its function. The master norm operates out of a power relationship and... will determine what is and what is not reason. " - Maria Grahn-Farley