The field of astrophysics is built on racist history, according to a professor at Colorado College.
“As an astrophysicist, I’m a product of institutions that are steeped in systemic racism and white supremacy,” Natalie Gosnell, Ph.D., said.
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Gosnell, who serves as an assistant physics professor at the college, made the comment in an interview published by the college earlier this month.
“The tenets of white supremacy that show up [in physics] of individualism and exceptionalism and perfectionism … it’s either-or thinking, and there’s no subtlety — there’s no gray area,” Gosnell said.
“All of this manifests in the way that we think about our research, and what counts as good research? What counts as important research?” she continued.
Along with recognizing the inherent racism within her field, Gosnell said she has also had to overcome the hypermasculine world of astrophysics, which has dictated a significant amount of her career.
“I think because science and art have been so separated, and there’s … systemic issues within science, the metaphors that are often chosen [to discuss science] are very violent and hypermasculine,” she said.
To address the systemic racism and hypermasculinity underlying her field, Gosnell has decided to change the way she teaches astrophysics, she said.
The prime example of her new approach appears to be her new immersive art piece titled The Gift.
According to the work published by Colorado College, the piece “exemplifies that which was missing for Gosnell in the sharing of science: creativity.”
The Gift debuted at the New York Public Library on Dec. 6 and depicts two stars orbiting each other.
“It felt like I was masquerading, essentially, as what an astrophysicist was supposed to be like,” Gosnell said.
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“We can make different choices about the metaphors that we use,” she continued, “in the stories that we tell, which is where … the inspiration and goal behind The Gift comes from.”
