Abstract
In this paper, first presented at the 2023 LACUNY Institute, the author discusses definitions of imposter syndrome and how imposter syndrome fits within the diversity model. The diversity model, as used in this paper, emerges from an oversimplified framing of racial inequity as a problem that is solved by simply hiring diverse bodies to appear inclusive. In conjunction with the proliferation of imposter syndrome in post-secondary institutions, the ongoing phenomenon of imposter syndrome among librarians and academics reveals an underlying systemic problem rather than individual shortcomings. Workplace discomfort in post-secondary institutions is too easily brushed off as imposter syndrome, without any critical self-reflection on the underlying causes that contribute to such high rates of individuals experiencing the syndrome. While the pathological “diagnosis” of imposter syndrome is unproductive in combating the underlying systemic problems that contribute to such experiences, there are two distinct uses of imposter syndrome in our lexicon: imposter-syndrome-as-pathology and the affective experience of imposter syndrome. In critiquing imposter-syndrome-as-pathology, this paper highlights how the diversity model pushes racialized information professionals to experience imposter syndrome.
Recommended Citation
Liu, T. (2023). The Imposter Among Us: How Imposter Syndrome is Fueled by Diversity Discourses. Urban Library Journal, 29 (2). Retrieved from https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ulj/vol29/iss2/3