Mini-breakdown: Imposter Syndrome

Light Work by Dear Patriarchy

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Welcome to episode 10(ish) of series 3 where Lisa does a mini-breakdown of Imposter Syndrome and why its use as a catch-all term is problematic. Lisa discusses a tweet posted by @theconsciouslee from Juana Hollingsworth (@jewelsfromjuana) about how Dr. Amanda Tachine (@atachine) explained that the original concept of Imposter Syndrome was theorised in 1978 by two White women (psychologists Pauline Rose Clance & Suzanne Imes) to describe how a large majority of women, disproportionately Black women and women of Colour, are marginalised within the corporate environment. While the tenets of Imposter Syndrome may ring true for many women, for Black women and women of Colour, this term erases or, at the very least, minimises the impact of systemic racism and the many obstacles it presents them with in the workplace. It makes systemic issues the fault of each individual woman, forcing her to endure and try to resolve them each and every day that she shows up to work. The hope is that the information discussed today will help to inform how we look at the experiences of Black women and women of Colour in the corporate world and how the White-centric focus of academia, which influences the terminology we use in the workplace and wider world, can further marginalise those who exist outside of that focus.
- The February 2021 Harvard Business Review article entitled "Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome" by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey informed this episode - please read it!

- Please check out our "Feminism 101" suggested reading list here if you're at a loose end for a great read from a Feminist author.

- Find out more about the amazing artists, Nubefy, behind the graphics we use here.