Authors: Sahil Hegde and Samantha Wong
Discussions surrounding issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are beginning to feature more prominently in most astronomy research settings around the world, but such conversations were not always so commonplace. Though these discussions still feel fairly new (at least in our personal experiences), many of these initiatives stand on the shoulders of nearly three decades of a persistent push to increase access and move the field in a positive direction. In today’s bite, we’re looking at Dr. Jörg Matthias Determann’s recent book, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Astronomy: A Modern History, which takes a step back and revisits some of the efforts that spurred on the DEI movement.
Dr. Determann approaches this topic from the outside — he is a trained historian and professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. In this role, he has been able to explore a broad range of topics ranging from understanding the role of biological research in the Middle East to the relationship between the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and Islamic science fiction and theology, all of which combine his passions for science and history. Indeed, he recounted that the research underpinning this book was born out of a childhood interest in science fiction literature and media, much of which features “diverse groups of space explorers, including people of different races, genders and abilities.” As a member of an American university in Qatar, he is also in a unique position to experience the juxtaposition of Western and Middle Eastern cultures that are each diverse and multicultural in their own right.
This book, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Astronomy: A Modern History, is an accessible, jargon-free exploration of DEI efforts in astronomy that is told through narratives of the people who helped these efforts develop and continue. The book is divided into six sections that each explore different underrepresented groups in astronomy and the efforts that individuals and organizations have undergone to improve the experiences of these groups, as well as the intersectionality that brings them together.
A more diverse universe
The book’s introductory chapter takes a holistic view of the importance of diversity in astronomy by introducing some of the key themes that will recur throughout the book, including the gender gap, global inequalities in astronomy resources, astronomy’s ties with colonial institutions, and the lack of diversity that makes up many spaces in astronomy, among others (for some statistics, see this report from the 2020 Astronomy Decadal Survey). These themes are introduced through the stories of individuals and organizations that have sought change in the modern history of astronomy.
Dr. Determann stresses the importance of pursuing equity, diversity, and inclusion in astronomy throughout the chapter, and highlights that, “among the many fields of knowledge, astronomy was perhaps especially inclusive to begin with. The subject of research, the sky, was in principle accessible to almost anybody.”
Visas and vistas
Chapter 2 focuses on a broad history of the development of astronomy as an international field, touching on a variety of efforts to bridge gaps and remain scientifically connected in an increasingly political and divided world. Dr. Determann frames the chapter through the story of Harlow Shapley, a Cold War-era astronomer at Harvard, whose fierce commitment to activism, strong network of international collaborations, and affiliation with several left-wing organizations led to a contentious hearing with the US House Un-American Activities Committee. The chapter then moves through a discussion of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which was founded in the wake of the first world war and though inclusive in spirit, still “reflected the systems of exclusion among nation-states at any given point in time” through, for example, the membership ban on the Central Powers following WWI (though many of these barriers were broken down when the IAU was restructured after WWII). While over time the IAU grappled with the political influences of its member states, Determann also discusses its initiatives that sought to transcend borders, such as financial support for research and professor exchange programs between countries and the development of an internationally run observatory, a project pioneered by Shapley. Finally, Determann describes efforts by amateur astronomers such as Mike Simmons, who brought astronomy outreach efforts to countries that lacked strong connections with the IAU, which ultimately culminated in the creation of the organization Astronomers Without Borders.
Binary stars
Chapter 3 discusses the struggles of female and gender minority astronomers to feel included and welcome in the field. Much of the chapter focuses on stories from the 1980s to the present that highlight the ongoing problems that create barriers to retaining women in astronomy. Dr. Determann begins the chapter by highlighting that although women have equal rights on paper in many cultures, factors such as the inability to move up in academia into influential positions and inequalities in childcare responsibilities make it difficult for women to want to pursue or stay in academia (see this report for statistics and examples. Although many of these obstacles still exist in academic spaces, Dr. Determann gives a positive example of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), an institute that started in the 1990s and quickly became “a hub for women’s advocacy”, at a time when changing hiring practices to start to reverse the longstanding history of institutional gender imbalance was a reality. Dr. Determann also shares the stories of several LGBTQ+ astronomers who are trying to expand the conversations about inclusion in astronomy and create LGBTQ+ friendly spaces at conferences and meetings. He finishes the chapter by contextualizing the struggles of female and LGBTQ+ astronomers to be accepted and free from harassment with the ever-present problem of bureaucratic secrecy surrounding sexual harassment and the difficulty in punishing senior scientists for inappropriate actions. However, progress is still being made to improve gender inclusivity in astronomy. Dr. Determann quotes Joan Schmelz, an activist against sexual harrassment, who reflects on the past few decades as a female astronomer, “[Astronomy is] different [now], it’s better for all the ways that we could possibly think or imagine or measure diversity, equity, and inclusion issues.”
Visible spectrum
In the next chapter, Dr. Determann expands the discussion to another dimension of diversity: racial identities. Though these efforts have been present in the AAS since the 1970s, the limited numbers of astronomers of color meant that a Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy (CSMA) would not be created until 1997. Despite that, there were some efforts to tackle systems of oppression faced by racial minorities in the US during this era, guided by Meg Urry’s recognition that the “the problems of women and minorities are very much the same: essentially being the ‘outsiders’ in a culture defined by a set of white, male insiders.” In turn, Dr. Determann also explores some of the nuance in such discussions, recounting statements from Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, who “as a queer Black (cis) woman, [lives] at the intersection of multiple minority statuses.”
In discussing some of the earliest efforts to uplift minorities in astronomy, Dr. Determann takes a step back and looks at the field of physics more broadly, which features the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP). The NSBP meetings, which are often held at institutions with many African American students, help create a sense of solidarity within the community and allow for the celebration of not only attendees’ “‘distinguished service to physics and society,’ but also for their enrichment of the ‘black experience.’” Dr. Determann also highlights the stories of other astronomers, such as Jarita Holbrook, who works on broadening the types of astronomy knowledge that are taught through her research in ethnoastronomy, which “brings diversity to astronomy in that the astronomy knowledge of people of color, women, and non-scientists are included”.
Next, Dr. Determann introduces Gibor Basri, a professor at UC Berkeley who was an early giant in the field of stellar astronomy and also a leader of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the University of California system, which ultimately “culminated in him becoming Berkeley’s first vice chancellor for equity and inclusion in 2007.” One of Basri’s students, Keivan Stassun went on to create the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge program, which was successful as it provided “a nurturing environment as well as…a holistic evaluation of student abilities.” Through all of these narratives, of which only a few are reproduced here, Dr. Determann highlights the number of efforts being made to grapple with the layers of inequity that people experience in astronomy and the sciences more generally.
Stairway to heaven
In the book’s penultimate chapter, Dr. Determann discusses both the struggles of disabled astronomers and the work that is being done inside and outside of the field to make astronomy accessible to all. He starts the chapter by taking a historical look back at famous astronomers throughout history with physical disabilities, such as Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and the more contemporary Stephen Hawking. He notes that, despite their disabilities, many of these astronomers were able to achieve success through technological innovation, access to medical care, and access to education. Many successful astronomers “would not have identified primarily as disabled people”, even with visible disabilities. However, many of these astronomers suffered discrimination for their disabilities on top of other factors, like being a woman, in the case of the deaf astronomer Annie Jump Cannon.
On top of discrimination, most disabled astronomers lack accommodation for disabilities when it comes to physical spaces for research and observations and access to financial support to pay for medical care, among other things. Dr. Determann quotes Stephen Hawking, “it’s a self fulfilling prophecy. If they don’t provide facilities for the disabled, there won’t be any disabled for whom they have to provide facilities.” With this context in mind, Dr. Determann highlights the efforts of individuals in astronomy to try and make science and outreach more inclusive, including Gerhard Henschel’s and Noreen Grice’s tactile sky models and both Wanda Díaz-Merced’s and Fiorella Terenzi’s uses of sonification with in both research and outreach, which allowed visually impaired people to explore the universe and study astronomy by using more senses than just sight.
Decolonizing space
The book’s final chapter chapter touches on many activist movements that astronomers have been involved with, such as protesting the construction of the Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea, the renaming of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) due to NASA administrator James Webb’s complicity in the US homophobic policies of the 1950s, and many more efforts to attempt to decolonize astronomical institutions and space itself.
The book finishes by grounding us back down to Earth. While conversations surrounding colonizing space and searching for the next Earth remain controversial, Dr. Determann highlights the work of Astronomers for Planet Earth in reminding us that our first and foremost concern should be the preservation of our planet, and astronomy is uniquely situated in the sciences to “achieve a planetary identity and a planet-wide solidarity”. He quotes Suchitra Narayanan, a graduate student (and astrobites author) at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, “all of the groundbreaking research we are privileged to do and are surrounded by does not matter unless we have a planet to live on.”
Reflection
Reflecting on this work, which was carried out during significant public movements such as Black Lives Matter, Dr. Determann was impressed to see the multitude of causes that astronomers regularly engage with. “They have stood up against oppression based on race, gender and disability and promoted solidarity across different identity groups. As a result of their work, the global astronomical community is in a continuous process of transformation.” From this work, it is clear that a persistent commitment to tackle systems of oppression has been a longstanding feature of the astronomy community and it is through this collective effort that our field is slowly but surely being democratized.
Dr. Determann’s next project circles back to his original motivation for studying DEI and astronomy, which will be a book that explores the history of teaching science with science fiction, where “astrophysicists are some of the most important protagonists.” He’s also interested in exploring the history of efforts to preserve astronomical data and to whom these records are accessible, which has been and continues to be relevant to DEI efforts in that it is a question of inclusion and justice.
To read more about any of the initiatives mentioned above, check out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Astronomy: A Modern History and Dr. Determann’s other works. Dr. Determann will be presenting “A History of the Movement for Equity and Inclusion in Astronomy” on August 15 at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Cape Town, South Africa.
Astrobite edited by: Skylar Grayson
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