Liberal Ideologies in Academic STEM: How Faculty Can (Re)produce Racial Inequities

This chapter traces how dominant ideologies of meritocracy, equal opportunity, and color-blindness manifest in everyday STEM teaching, learning, and decision-making. With an emphasis on faculty practice, we demonstrate how well-intentioned actions that center these ideologies perpetuate inequity (an unjust and ahistorical distribution of resources and opportunities) that disadvantages racially minoritized students. The chapter starts with an overview of how ideologies become entrenched and operate within higher education. We then outline how hegemonic liberal ideologies inform practices that maintain racial inequities in STEM. Finally, we discuss the concept of critical consciousness and its potential application in faculty development, research endeavors, and disciplinary advancement toward a more equitable STEM education.