Teaching Up: The Intersection of Impression Management and Controlling Images for Black, Cisgender, Women Faculty

Abstract

This is a qualitative study of Black cisgender women's faculty experiences using an interactionist framework. Relying on in‐depth interviews, we explore the experiences of eight Black, cisgender, women, sociology faculty across the United States in various tenure and non‐tenure roles at different institutions (community college, teaching college, and research universities). Participants engaged in a variety of impression management techniques to overcome implicit biases and controlling images that shaped their students', and their colleagues', perceptions. While women in our study had agency, they were limited in the ways they could present themselves, a phenomenon Deil‐Amen and Tevis describe as circumscribed agency. Once women in our study had achieved seniority they were able to express themselves in culturally authentic ways. Theoretically, this study shows how interpretive sociology can overcome its theoretical limitations in dealing with race, and shows that the interactionist perspective is actually well suited towards discussing this matters in a meaningful way. We conclude by advocating for greater awareness surrounding the lived experience of Black, women faculty, especially by those who mentor and evaluate them.