Betrayal U

The Politics of Belonging in Higher Education

Rebecca G. Martínez (Editor), Monica J. Casper (Editor)
Paperback ($30.00), Ebook ($29.99) Buy
Higher education is in trouble, and not only due to a decline of public trust. As a microcosm of our broader culture, universities are inequitable and often harmful, especially for marginalized people. This is despite the democratic promise of higher education as a path for learning and social mobility. Women, people of color, First Gen, disabled, LGBTQ+, and other minoritized groups are disproportionately harmed in educational institutions that are hierarchical and reproduce inequality. Efforts to foster belonging for faculty, staff, and students may be highly effective but are under attack.
 
Betrayal U intervenes in this context with a diverse, rich collection of essays, art, poetry, and research that explores these inequities through the lens of institutional betrayal, theorized by psychologist Jennifer Freyd. Edited by Rebecca G. Martínez and Monica J. Casper, this collection brings together thirty-six contributors who share personal experiences covering a range of topics in higher education. The work spans five thematic sections that examine the complexities of belonging and exclusion in academic settings.
 
The contributors share their lived experiences of academic life from diverse vantage points, showing the ways minoritized groups are made to feel unwelcome, further marginalized, and often positioned as the problem. Exhibiting courage, compassion, and a commitment to better futures, the voices in this collection offer both a searing indictment of higher education and pathways to alternative practices and structures. They shine a spotlight on academia today, including the promise of inclusion and the perils of exclusion.

Contributors
Celeste Atkins
Jasmine Banks
Krista L. Benson
Jessica Bishop-Royse
Samit Dipon Bordoloi
Monica J. Casper
Aparajita De
Kathy Diehl
Taylor Marie Doherty
Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt
Alma Flores
Alanna Gillis
C. Goldberg
Jennifer M. Gómez
Kristina Gupta
Jasmine L. Harris
Susan Hillock
Doreen Hsu
Jennifer Lai
Amy Andrea Martinez
Rebecca G. Martínez
Shantel Martinez
Sara A. Mata
Rachael McCollum
Wang Ping
Emily Rosser
Angélica Ruvalcaba
Brandy L. Simula
Rashna Batliwala Singh
Cierra Raine Sorin
Connor Spencer
Chantelle Spicer
 

“The narratives in this collection are beautiful and brutally honest testimonies, some gut-wrenching and familiar, with common themes that echo the persistent systemic challenges in higher education.”—Michelle M. Camacho, co-author of The Borderlands of Education: Latinas in Engineering

“There is a beautiful transparency in the essays in this book. Resistance and resilience have emerged earlier but never with such tour de force, direct examples without euphemisms about what really occurs in the high echelons of educational institutions.”—Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, author of Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia

"A brave and timely volume, Betrayal U reveals and deconstructs the institutional betrayal that so many students, faculty, and staff experience in higher education. From poems to first-person testimonials to analytic essays, this comprehensive edited volume is rich with contributor insight and intellectual honesty. The editors and contributors document and uncover the ways that institutional betrayal reinforces inequality and historical marginalization. Compelling in detail and scope, Betrayal U should be required reading for higher education leaders."—Jennifer Joy Freyd, co-author of Blind to Betrayal: Why We Fool Ourselves We Aren't Being Fooled

 

 

Betrayal U
344 Pages 5.5 x 8.5 x 0
Published: May 2025Paperback ISBN: 9780816554720
Published: May 2025Ebook ISBN: 9780816554713

For Authors

The University of Arizona Press publishes the work of leading scholars from around the globe. Learn more about submitting a proposal, preparing your final manuscript, and publication.

Inquire

Requests

The University of Arizona Press is proud to share our books with readers, booksellers, media, librarians, scholars, and instructors. Join our email Newsletter. Request reprint licenses, information on subsidiary rights and translations, accessibility files, review copies, and desk and exam copies.

Request

Support the Press

Support a premier publisher of academic, regional, and literary works. We are committed to sharing past, present, and future works that reflect the special strengths of the University of Arizona and support its land-grant mission.

Give