Epistemic exclusion refers to the scholarly devaluation of faculty of color (and other faculty from marginalized groups), that deems their research as illegitimate, lacking value and outside of disciplinary norms.

It occurs because of biases built into seemingly neutral evaluation standards that govern faculty hiring, annual review and other evaluation processes. As such, it operates as a barrier to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of faculty of color.

U-M LSA professor Isis Settles will describe the nature of epistemic exclusion, the disciplinary and identity-based (e.g., related to a person’s gender or race) biases that underlie it and suggest strategies for change.