20 Historically, Persistently, or Systemically Marginalized (HPSM) Groups

When speaking of systemic barriers, we are often referring to groups that are considered historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized (HPSM) groups. What do each of those words mean, and why do they need to be used together?

At UBC, we use the language “historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized*” within the StEAR, and the UBC Strategic Plan. This language was intentionally and carefully chosen to recognize that:

• UBC and other institutions throughout Canada were created at a time when societal norms privileged and included some groups and disadvantaged and excluded others;
• In Canada, groups that are often considered historically, persistently, and systemically marginalized include Indigenous people, women, people with disabilities, racialized people, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people;
• The historical legacy of day-to-day barriers is embedded in many of the systems that organize postsecondary education and continue to perpetuate current inequities, which compound over time (e.g., the leaky pipelines that make it more difficult for members of HPSM groups to become senior administrative and faculty leaders within universities and colleges);
• The policies, practices, culture, behaviours, and beliefs that maintain these barriers by supporting the status quo within the institution. It is often not the malicious intent of an individual that fuels systemic barriers, rather it is an unconscious, unrecognized practice of doing things as they have always been done that work to perpetuate these historical exclusions.

* This definition was developed and used by the Equity & Inclusion Office, UBC 2018

Together, the words historically, persistently, and systemically work to convey the widest understanding of marginalized groups within Canadian postsecondary institutions. The research application is two-fold: first, by exploring how to design research in ways that disrupt the ‘policies, practices, culture, behaviours and beliefs’ that uphold systemic oppression; and second, by identifying the barriers that researchers and research teams encounter, which may impede their success within the research ecosystem at UBC and other post-secondary institutions. However, before we can explore these in more detail in the modules to come, we must focus on the larger context of bias and barriers.