Warikoo Appointed Russell Sage Visiting Scholar

Assistant Professor Natasha Warikoo was recently appointed a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation for the 2013–2014 academic year. The foundation, based in New York City, is devoted to research in the social sciences and publishes books based on the work of its grantees and visiting scholars.

Warikoo said she is honored to receive this acknowledgement, which will provide time to complete a book focused on undergraduates attending elite American and British universities. In particular, the book will examine these students’ understandings of diversity, multiculturalism, and social inequality.

For Warikoo, the opportunity to work on this book is timely, considering the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Fisher vs. Texas regarding affirmative action in higher education. The book will examine how students understand “merit” at universities that offer varying supports for diversity on campus and in admissions. It will also discuss the lenses through which students understand race and how these lenses affect their interactions with peers.

“I will also benefit from being part of an outstanding cohort of scholars at Russell Sage who will help me think through my ideas and, I’m sure, push me to think in new and innovative ways,” Warikoo said.