Written by Nur Kilickiran
It’s striking that implicit inequalities against Black scientists persist in prestigious awards like the Nobel Prizes. Can this be considered a reflection of historical biases and structural barriers in the scientific world? The low representation of black scientists in prestigious platforms such as the Nobel Prizes reveals the lack of recognition of individual achievements and the systemic biases within scientific communities.
Founded by Alfred Nobel in 1901, Nobel Prizes are prestigious international awards that recognize achievements in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences. These awards are given to present important achievements and honor the people who contribute to the development of humanity.
However, looking at the history of these awards, it’s visible that black scientists aren’t represented fairly among the winners. A lack of black winners among the Nobel Prizes in 2024 demonstrates that individual achievements are underappreciated and fair and equal opportunities remain unachieved. The underrecognition of black scientists indicates a lack of equal opportunities in award processes, scientific research, and discovery. While this situation reveals how deeply inequalities are established in the scientific world, it also emphasizes the need for a more fair and inclusive approach to solving this problem. (1)
Society and media play a big role in this inequality: Society’s values, perceptions, and expectations underappreciate the success of these individuals, reinforcing racial biases that exist globally. Furthermore, the media might avoid emphasizing these achievements, making the award winners reflect Western-centered and culturally dominant norms. This situation leads to a lack of scientific diversity. Hence, society and the media must be sensitive to this inequality to maintain equal opportunities. (1)
Today, the Nobel Committee and other major scientific congresses do some work to promote freedom and diversity, such as targeting more women and different ethnicities in award applications, to highlighting race and gender equality in scientific studies to ensure greater diversity and inclusion. However, these efforts remain insufficient. (2)
Social and scientific inequalities, rather than a simple oversight of individual accomplishments, importantly and demonstrably show the glaring underrepresentation of Black scientists among Nobel laureates. Racism, along with prejudices, has historically spread and persisted within science. Unequal evaluation of many black scientists' important scientific achievements and contributions causes their underrecognition in these prestigious awards. These problems can be addressed by encouraging diversity and implementing evaluation systems firmly based on equality principles. We must concentrate on these efforts to guarantee the recognition of all scientists’ achievements. Correcting past mistakes and building a more all-embracing scientific world starts with removing silent bias. Hence, the Nobel Prizes shall stand for this change, further implement an awarding process that guarantees equal opportunities for all scientists, and guarantee complete justice to the scientific community. (2)
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References:
Boyce, J., Crittenden, F., & Allsop, A. (2024, December 12). Nobel prizes overlook Black scientists because of this quiet bias. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nobel-prizes-overlook-black-scientists-because-of-this-quiet-bias/
Thompson, A. (2024, October 10). Nobel prizes are still failing to celebrate the diversity of science. New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2451324-nobel-prizes-are-still-failing-to-celebrate-the-diversity-of-science/
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