Today I finally wrote that email 20 yrs later. To the professor on my MA course who agreed to give me a recommendation letter for my PhD and then wrote ‘her English is not of a suitable level’ & ‘I do not believe she will make a good PhD researcher’ This middle-aged white man 1/

who tried to put an end to a young Indian woman’s academic career with his presumptions abt her talent and suitability for a PhD. He imposed his own views of what a suitable level of English is for a foreign-born & raised person. Moreover, he did so while agreeing to give her 2/

a recommendation. This was a breach of trust. I got that PhD scholarship. I taught and wrote single-authored research papers and got a v prestigious fellowship before I had even completed my PhD. In fact that drove me on. I was invited over to speak and present at numerous 3/

international conferences even before I completed my PhD. If you are an international student, don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot achieve. If you are an academic who is asked to give a recommendation letter don’t be like him. Don’t let your own stereotypes and 4/

presumptions affect how you evaluate the student. Say no if you can’t say anything good. He also wrote ‘she is nice & helpful but...’ Do not use words such as ‘helpful’ and ‘nice’ for women but ‘knowledgeable’ and ‘self-motivated’ for men. I have thought abt that letter off & 5/

on for 20 yrs & always made sure I get to know my students & their contexts before writing a recommendation letter, not measure intl students by a standard yardstick for language & academic writing. They might not have had the same training in their countries. Just this! 6/

Well I shared this rather hesitatingly but it seems to have resonated with many. The gatekeepers, toxic cultures of ‘fit’, notion of outsiders, all are determined by a narrative of white supremacy unfortunately deep-rooted in UK & US academia & heightened @ intersection of gender

Sorry if I haven’t responded individually but thanks all for your msgs & for sharing your experiences. It is so important to address the diff forms of bias & inequalities in academia. If you’re interested my books are here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/my-books-0c76d6ad-fa5f-43cc-b21a-c6ea8063d536 You’re welcome to have a look!