When Power Confronts Excellence: What Auriemma, Staley, and the 2026 Final Four Reveal About Representation and Leadership in LIS
Auriemma and Staley belong in a conversation about representation and leadership in LIS because the same racialized and interpretive pattern of disruption appears here too. LIS describes itself as progressive, inclusive, and equity minded, but Cooke and Kitzie (2021) argue that marginalized scholars and practitioners still function as outsiders within, included inside institutions that were not built with them in mind. Cooke and Green (2023) make a related point in their call for inclusive leadership, arguing that LIS leadership models have too often reflected structures that privilege white men and exclude others from full authority.
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