Stanford Event Criticized as "Too White and Too Male"

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The organizer of a history conference at Stanford admitted to having trouble identifying a more diverse panel of speakers. All 30 are white men.

Priya Satia, history professor at Stanford said, “Given how prevalent women are in the history department, you’d have to try really hard to come up with a roster of speakers that looks like that." Satia also leads the history department's diversity committee.

Referred to as a "conservative British historian" by the New York Times, Niall Ferguson says he invited women, but only one could attend. Ferguson also said, "We all agreed that we must redouble our efforts to represent diverse viewpoints in future conferences." 

Discussion:

  • What are some possible reasons for the lack of diversity?
  • Should Ferguson have done more to recruit women and people of color? How could he approach the conference planning differently?
  • What is Stanford's responsibility? I don't see a statement from the university.
  • In what ways does Ferguson demonstrate vulnerability, and in what ways does he fall short?