ESSB amends job posting after controversy over ‘scholars of colour’

A job posting at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Studies was amended on Monday after controversy. The text stated that the vacancy was part of a ‘cluster hiring initiative for scholars of colour’. That wording led to criticism and parliamentary questions.

The job description for an assistant professor and an associate professor specialising in Social Inequalities stated that the vacancy was part of a ‘cluster hiring initiative for scholars of colour’. That sentence has been removed from the vacancy.

The vacancy was also amended on another point. The department for both positions was looking for someone who integrates ‘progressive, anti-racist and social justice resources and pedagogy in the classroom’. That sentence has also been removed from the vacancy.

Parliamentary questions

The vacancy appeared on the university website on Friday and provoked criticism over the weekend. Members of parliament from JA21 announced questions to the minister about the vacancy. Among other things they ask the minister what she thinks of recruiting on the basis of skin colour and want to know whether that is contrary to the equality principle in Article 1 of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on any grounds.

Unintentionally excluded

A spokesperson for the faculty has stated that the job advertisement has been amended because it gave the impression that people were being excluded. “With this wording we wanted to make an extra and explicit invitation to groups that are structurally underrepresented in academia. We know that there are barriers that prevent them from applying. In our attempt to actively lower those barriers, we unintentionally gave the impression of excluding others. That is precisely the opposite of what we aimed for”, the spokesperson emailed. “Attracting colleagues with culturally diverse backgrounds is important to us, for our faculty, for the quality of teaching and research, and certainly in a superdiverse city like Rotterdam.”