A complaint filed with the University of Washington alleges that Robin DiAngelo, author of the widely read book "White Fragility," lifted material from other papers without proper attribution in her 2004 Ph.D. thesis.
A complaint filed with the University of Washington has alleged that Robin DiAngelo, the author of the popular book "White Fragility," plagiarized multiple scholars, including minority writers, in her 2004 Ph.D. thesis.
The complaint, which was shared with the Washington Free Beacon, found dozens of examples of DiAngelo lifting material from other papers without proper attribution, in-text citations, or quotation marks.
'White Fragility' Author's Dissertation Plagued by Plagiarism Accusations
This included material from two Asian-American professors, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Stacey Lee and Northeastern University professor Thomas Nakayama.
"It is never appropriate to use the secondary source without acknowledging it, and even worse to present it as one's own words," said Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, to the Free Beacon. "That's plagiarism."
'White Fragility' Author's Dissertation Plagued by Plagiarism Accusations
Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Washington for comment.
The complaint significantly called into question DiAngelo's dissertation, titled "Whiteness in Racial Dialogue: A Discourse Analysis," which formed the basis of her doctorate in Multicultural Education.
'White Fragility' Author's Dissertation Plagued by Plagiarism Accusations
DiAngelo has continued to use the title Dr. DiAngelo earned from the dissertation and has referred to herself as Affiliate Associate Professor of Education at the university.
Fox News Digital reached out to DiAngelo and the University of Washington for comment.
'White Fragility' Author's Dissertation Plagued by Plagiarism Accusations
The report pointed out how DiAngelo's website emphasized giving credit to minorities and promoting their work.
"Promote the work and services of BIPOC people. Channel work to BIPOC people. Seek out and choose BIPOC-owned businesses and service providers. Co-lead paid work with BIPOC people when possible," her website says.
It adds, "Always cite and give credit to the work of BIPOC people who have informed your thinking. When you use a phrase or idea you got from a BIPOC person, credit them."
DiAngelo first took off in 2018 with the publication of her book "White Fragility." It gained renewed interest and became a more mainstream concept during the summer of 2020 in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
The phrase "White fragility" originated from DiAngelo's dissertation.
"White fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves." DiAngelo wrote. "These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation."
The news followed several plagiarism allegations against academic members at Ivy League universities. Most notably, the Free Beacon reported on dozens of accusations against then-Harvard President Claudine Gay in 2023. After weeks of mounting pressure, Gay was forced to resign in January.
