The Intellectual Benefits of Diversity

Abstract

This chapter highlights the longstanding call for increased diversity, particularly in terms of gender, race, and socioeconomic backgrounds within the field of political science. It specifically focuses on the intellectual advantages of racial diversity in the discipline, contending that it enhances the quality of research. Racial diversity not only brings a variety of research themes but also a range of methodological approaches. Despite significant underrepresentation of Black scholars in political science, they have pioneered innovative research on new subjects and introduced novel methodological techniques. These contributions span various subfields, including international relations, political theory, and race and ethnic politics. The chapter highlights the striking lack of diversity in tenure-track faculty positions at leading PhD-granting institutions and the scarcity of PhDs awarded to Black scholars across various disciplines. The chapter also provides several examples of the theoretical richness and innovations stemming from Black scholars’ work and underscores how these insights may not have arisen from White scholars. It emphasizes the role of identity in shaping research questions, theoretical approaches, and the capability to investigate various topics. In conclusion, the chapter stresses that addressing the demographic imbalances within the profession will enrich political science by enhancing the diversity of theoretical questions, approaches, and the capacity to address crucial research inquiries. It also points out that political science lags behind many related disciplines in terms of demographic diversity, and similar intellectual benefits can be expected if these issues are addressed in other fields like economics, history, psychology, and sociology.