As a Native American, naturally I support this exciting new development in Social Justice Convergence:
Cornell University is looking for a tenure track assistant professor whose only qualification is diversity; actual field of study is irrelevant. The job listing says that the candidate can apply for “some area of the humanities or qualitative social sciences.” Might that area be French literature? Or field methods for anthropology? Who cares! Such nit-picking disciplinary distinctions harken back to a bygone era when universities thought of themselves as the guardians of knowledge.
Today, when they are focused overwhelmingly on the expansion of identity politics, the most important academic qualification is the claim of victimhood. And in Cornell’s case, victimhood is now the only academic qualification required. The Cornell listing goes on to explain: “We are especially interested in considering applications from members of underrepresented groups, those who have faced economic hardship, are first-generation college graduates, or work on topics related to these issues.”
It no longer matters what you’ve done or what you can do, what matters is what you are.