You are not the imposter problem
Recognizing imposterism in academia
In the pressure cooker of graduate school, my friend Monica and I frequently repeated this phrase to one another: "Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man." It was a half-joking, half-serious way to acknowledge the raced and gendered scripts that often fueled our feelings of inadequacy.
We were women navigating a predominantly white, male-dominated academic environment, and it was easy to internalize the message that we didn't quite belong. Some of my friends who were women of color encountered these experiences and feelings more frequently than I did as a white woman because whiteness remains the most privileged identity in the academy.
This internalized doubt is what's often called imposter syndrome—that nagging feeling that you're a fraud despite your accomplishments. But as we delve deeper into the issue, it wasn't just our internal struggles; there were external forces at play that reinforced these feelings.
I recently listened to an interview with Dr. Angélica Gutiérrez on the Your Words Unleashed podcast, where she defined a concept she coined called impostorization—the systemic biases and microaggressions within academic institutions that can undermine our confidence and make us question our abilities.
Importantly, Dr. Gutiérrez shifts the imposter conversation away from an individual’s issue that must be fixed and instead emphasizes how this ethos is embedded in academic institutions at the structural level.
Imposter syndrome: It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem. It’s me.
Imposter syndrome can feel like a constant battle with your inner critic. As a graduate student, I often felt like I was playing catch-up, not as intelligent or prepared as my peers. The constant comparison and pressure to publish led to a spiral of self-doubt.
Even after earning my Ph.D. and becoming a faculty member, those feelings didn't magically disappear. The fear of being exposed as a "fraud" lingered, even as I achieved professional milestones.
The problem with focusing solely on imposter syndrome is that it is typically viewed as the individual's responsibility to overcome their feelings of being an imposter.
For example, I frequently see these feelings emerge in neurodiverse people, whose brains process and think differently than the norm in academia. They often feel the need to fix themselves because the academy refuses to operate in a different way. Wouldn’t it be beneficial for the academy to celebrate people who think and process information differently? Aren’t we meant to celebrate diversity of thought?
Impostorization: Shifting responsibility to the system
Imposter syndrome doesn't exist in a vacuum. The academic environment itself can be a breeding ground for self-doubt in all of us, but especially for women, people of color, neurodiverse folks, and other identities who are marginalized, which is what Dr. Gutiérrez’s work points to. She defines imposterization as
the policies, practices, and seemingly innocuous interactions in organizations that make or intend to make individuals question their intelligence, competence, and sense of belonging.
Structural inequalities, such as the underfunding of programs that support marginalized groups, the lack of diversity in the faculty and higher administration, and institutional cultures that define success as the status quo, create environments where those from historically marginalized communities, who are disabled, or who are neurodiverse struggle to feel like they fit in.
These systemic barriers not only hinder professional advancement but also perpetuate a sense of isolation and inadequacy. When the system itself does not reflect or support diverse experiences, it's easy for individuals to internalize the idea that they do not belong or are not capable.
The takeaway
I frequently see people labeling themselves as having imposter syndrome, and while there are individual symptoms that can be addressed, I believe it is also critical to acknowledge the structural conditions that make the feelings of being an imposter more common among identities that don’t hold as much power in the academy.
You are not the problem. You are not the impostor. The powers that be have made you feel like an imposter. Knowing this can relieve you of the individual obligation to fix yourself and allow you to better see the structural issues that you must navigate.
By shifting the focus from self-blame to a critique of the institutional practices that perpetuate these feelings, we can begin to advocate for more inclusive and supportive academic environments. Rather than internalizing blame for a systemic problem, this viewpoint encourages us to challenge and ultimately change those structures.
I LOVE this post, Jenn! Whenever I start thinking about imposter-y things, I am reminded of Cheri Huber's incredible book, <There Is Nothing Wrong With You>, where she takes a close look at the impulse to make ourselves the problems so there's always something to work on and hence the ego is always being centered. Even when we recognize the systemic undercurrents that lead to imposter-y feelings, it's extremely hard (maybe impossible) to avoid personalizing this as a me-problem. Thanks for reminding us that that's a nice way to keep us all spinning in our own minds and not fixing the systems that got us here.