S02E07 | Imposter Syndrome & Other Anxieties

Do you ever feel like you don't belong? Imposter syndrome names the feeling of being out of place that even successful people can experience -- and this is widespread in all levels of the academy. But when can we have anxieties as women of color that might not be about being an imposter? There's so much about power and structural inequality, from the brand power of schools to academic credentials to how performances of intelligence are recognized according to norms of race and gender. Liz was the only black person -- not to mention black woman -- doing her undergrad in physics at Penn, while Xine is one of a few scholars of Asian descent in early and 19th century Americanist literature. How can we recognize our own experiences without invalidating those of others? We talk about vulnerability, self-doubt, coping strategies, and infiltrating the system to change it from within. email: [email protected] twitter: @phdivaspodcast facebook: Phdivas Podcast