Academic Inbreeding: State of the Literature

The problem of faculty inbreeding has been studied by researchers around the world for nearly a century. This chapter presents a thorough summary of the main studies focused on this phenomenon, beginning with definitions of inbreeding and a short historical discussion of when and where the first interest in inbreeding emerged. The chapter then presents what the literature has to say about possible reasons for inbreeding policies as well as the consequences of such practices. The possibilities for eliminating inbreeding are also considered. A brief summary of national cases of inbreeding concludes the chapter.