The Cost of Inclusion: How Student Conformity Leads to Inequality on College Campuses by B. R. Silver (review)

Through an ethnographic exploration, The cost of inclusion illuminates the complexities students encounter as they attempt to find their place in the college campus community. Long before students start their collegiate journey, they are promised access to a community of peers and a sense of belonging once they get involved in campus organizations and engagement opportunities. However, one’s involvement does not guarantee that they will find community best suited for them. Through interviews and observations, Silver details the social roles framed by race and gender. Students are relegated to and how students get stuck in group roles based on cultural and sexist norms. Thus, these social roles continue to perpetuate inequitable experiences for students at the group’s margins.

In part one of the book, Silver presents the social roles encountered by students in their search for a sense of belonging. The author richly details several roles within a social group assumed by members primarily based on their race, gender, or combination of both. The caregiver role, often held by women, were perceived as mothering, caring, thoughtful, and concerned for others in the group, as a result, consequentially self-sacrificing one’s own goals from time to time. The entertainer role, often assumed by minoritized men, were observed as being comical but noted that humor could be risky in disturbing group member perception when offended. The manager and educator roles, often held by white men, were perceived as frontrunners who provide leadership for their respective groups. Further, group members rely on their influence, opinions, and ideas of the managers and educators.

In part two of the book, Silver uses the findings to provide insights to combat the complexities of inclusion. For women and minoritized men, Silver discovered that their roles in campus groups were be dictated by being forced into the margins of group roles based on Centrifugal Pressure in forms of policing and self-preservation. Silver emphasized that White men student roles in campus groups can be dictated by being pulled into the center of group roles based on Centripetal Elevation in forms of positive attention that increased their status, presence, and sense of belonging. Many of the social roles placed on students based on their race, gender, or combination of both are reminiscent of their particular perception and stereotypes within today’s society.

One strength of The cost of inclusion is the author’s style of writing and data presentation. Silver’s ethnographic exploration makes this book a quick, easy, and interesting read. Throughout the book, the reader can hear his voice interject in the commentary along the way of the book’s journey giving the book a strong narrative feel. The statistical information presented was easily comprehended and provided evidence of proof for findings and role participation percentages.

Another strength of this book is the author’s research approach. Using a multi-group study, including groups in academic and co-circular settings, highlights two of the significant spaces in which students navigate their collegiate experience. Through this multi-group study, the author’s findings on the social role were detailed and directly connected with the definition provided for each role and the context in which they are observed.

One area of weakness of The cost of inclusion is the lack of a longitudinal multi-institutional study with a large sample size that limits the findings. Thus, this study may not represent the national population of student characteristics or institutional settings (HBCUs, PWIs, and HSIs). Another limitation of the book is the social and cultural context in which the study occurred. Since this study was conducted in 2016-2017, there could be changes and evolution of the social roles present on a college campus. However, this book does provide a start for scholars and practitioners with insights into the dynamics of inclusion...