Ivory tower is a persisting legacy of white supremacy

The Trump administration and conservative politicians have launched a broad-reaching and effective campaign against higher education and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in particular.

- Yolanda Wiggins, Tribune News Service

These attacks, often amplified by neoconservative influencers, are not simply critiques of policy or spending. At their core, they reflect anxiety over the growing presence and visibility of marginalised students and scholars within institutions that were not historically designed for them.

The phrase ivory tower has become shorthand for everything critics dislike about higher education. It evokes images of professors lost in abstract theorising, and administrators detached from real-world problems. But there is a deeper meaning, one rooted in the racial history of academia. Whether consciously or not, the term reinforces the idea that universities are—and should remain — spaces that uphold whiteness.

When critics lament the state of the ivory tower, they are often reacting not just to elitism, but to the changing demographics and priorities of colleges and universities. As enrollment by students of color and women have been making gains and new areas of study have emerged and gained traction-from ethnic studies to gender studies to critical race theory — we've seen a corresponding backlash: funding cuts, attacks on DEI, and growing calls to limit what can be taught.