Much discrimination is inferiorizing. For instance, women’s intellects are often tacitly assumed to be inferior to men’s, their time is considered less valuable, and they are expected to be nurturers in the workplace (regardless of their job descriptions). Discrimination is also alienating as there are countless small ways, micro-aggressions, by which it is tacitly asserted that those discriminated against do not belong.
Members of underrepresented groups are often encouraged to speak on behalf of that group, or study or teach material pertaining to that group. For instance, it is often assumed that women will want and be qualified to teach feminism, regardless of the level of training that they have had in this subdiscipline. While members of underrepresented groups appear to be more likely to be interested in the issues that pertain to their particular groups, this is not always the case and should never be assumed. Concomitantly, while members of underrepresented groups often have valuable perspectives particular to that group membership and specific expertise pertaining to it, any given person may not; and even if they do they may not wish to share it. The basic point is that within any particular underrepresented group there is diversity.
When members of underrepresented groups do work on perspectives of, works by, or works in the tradition of their group they find that this work is not seen as real academic work by many of their colleagues, even when their colleagues have almost no knowledge of the work in question. Bafflingly, positions with basically the same ontological commitments or based on very similar arguments will be considered important and insightful if presented from within the mainstream but be dismissed if identified with a non-Western tradition or a marginal subdiscipline. For example, Academics who wouldn’t dream of using Hume’s ideas without adequate citation help themselves to ideas they find in Buddhism without proper research or adequate credit. This kind of practice is a way of saying that non-Western intellectuals, perspectives, and traditions do not belong in academia. Dismissal without adequate information, careful consideration and honest discussion is the essence of prejudice and it is incompatible with Canadian commitments or, indeed, liberal democracy more generally.