13 directories for finding more diverse experts in IR
Jo Hills
Building on Leah de Haan’s previous blogpost on finding more diverse experts in International Relations, we wanted draw specific attention to directories of experts working in IR, journalism and academia. The excuse that ‘there is no one working on this’ has never been flimsier! Moreover, it is vital that we confront the assumptions underpinning conceptions of expertise and professionalism which frequently exclude women, people of colour, LGBTQIA+ scholars and early career researchers.
The following organizations all provide directories you can search easily when you are looking for experts to engage with as part of your work. A number of new directories have been set up since 2017, a somewhat encouraging sign of change in a discipline that often seems to move at a glacial pace. Many of the new additions were pointed out to us by our readers, so if you know of any other directories, do let us know in the comments section. We will be following up on this blogpost with another highlighting additional resources for improving diversity in the field, so stay tuned for further announcements!
Women Also Know Stuff runs possibly the most extensive database of women working in political science. Their international database includes experts working on a huge range of subjects in IR and international politics more broadly. The ability to search easily by subject area and location makes this an especially user friendly resource.
Mulheres Também Sabem is an important Portuguese-language database of women specialists working across a range of disciplines. While it has paused listing new experts, it remains a good resource for those looking to challenge gendered disparities across the humanities and social sciences.
Writers of Color is a directory that aims to create visibility for writers of colour and ease their journey to publication. Designed for ease of use by editors, their fantastic database is a conclusive response to anyone who argues that not knowing writers of colour is a valid excuse for exclusionary editorial policy.
Academic Women in Public Administration
This great organization conducts research, hosts events and maintains an excellent directory on academic women in public administration. Focusing mainly on the overlap between academia and policy-making, this is a useful resource for those looking for women experts working across both sectors.
Founded in 2020, Cite Black Authors provides a database of experts and articles designed to enhance the recognition and representation of black academic voices. More broadly, the organization aims to challenge traditional white-centric citation practices across a wide range of subjects.
Women Also Know History is an excellent organization for anyone looking to address gender bias in historical expertise. Their database includes historians working across a huge range of subjects and locations, making it an invaluable resource for those looking to engage with historical research and combat gendered exclusions within the discipline.
The Brussels Binder is focused on improving gender diversity in research and journalism, with a particular focus on European think tanks and policy-making. Alongside their database of women experts based in Europe, they also provide a range of toolkits on everything from event planning to male allyship.
Women’s Media Center’s She Source
Alongside working across a range of channels to raise the visibility and decision-making power of women in the media, Women’s Media Center also hosts a database of media-experienced women experts, designed for use by producers, bookers and journalists.
Run by the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, the Women Experts’ Network provides a directory of women experts working on security and foreign policy. In doing this, they aim to challenge hierarchies of expertise and promote academic voices alongside activists and journalists working on international politics and security.
POC Also Know Stuff aims to counter racial inequality in political science through their directory of experts and by highlighting opportunities and providing mentoring and support. Beyond this, they also act as an interlocutor for those aiming to work with POC experts, learn about the issues faced by POC academics in the discipline and act as allies for people of colour in political science.
Compiled by Brookings-based Sourcelist, Sourcelist(Women+) provides a database of over 750 women and those with underrepresented gender identities working as experts in technology policy. As an organization, Sourcelist aims to break down the multiple barriers to inclusion in tech governance and support diversity as a way of improving conversations on technology policy.
Designed by Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme, Eksperty is a new database that aims to bring experts from Russia and central Asia into international policy discussions about the region. While they are still in the process of adding experts, it is already a really useful resource for those fed-up with discussions about the region that exclude experts actually based there.
In 2017, we found few directories specifically aiming to promote the work of LGBTQIA+ scholars in international politics, and this remained an issue when updating the list. Although not a directory as such, the LGBT Scholar Network twitter page is a useful resource for those looking to find work by LGBTQIA+ scholars in across all academic disciplines. If you know of any organizations doing work in this space do let us know!
Jo Hills is the Digital Content Editor at International Affairs.
If you would like to contribute to discussions on equality, diversity and inclusion in International Relations on via the IA blog you can email us at jhills@chathamhouse.org.
All views expressed are individual not institutional.
