Between protests and strikes, I finally found some time to answer some questions. In case you are not aware – idk how that’s possible… do you live on Neptune? – everything is on fire, has been for a long time tbf. So I chose Michel’s question. They ask:
I’m lost. I feel like I don’t belong in academia, but neither in industry. What do I do?
Dear Michel,
Gosh, it has been a long time since you last saw me in here, and you just jumped right in. Fab. I missed y’all too. Anyway, I get it, and it’s because of capitalism. Do I have any solutions? Nope, not at the moment. I guess we need to start with the difference between a scholar and an academic. Then, we can talk about why you feel what you feel.
These two have a commonality, such as their relation to knowledge, but one of them actually capitalises it. Also, academic is a term used for people who are pursuing knowledge in universities and institutes. A while ago, I found this blog post (thanks social media, I guess sometimes you are a useful tool), and I think the description here is pretty valid, well, at least for me. So here’s how it goes: “The university is not simply a place where individuals pursue knowledge, but an institution that is both embedded within and plays a significant role in the knowledge economy.” Just consider who gets funding for what, what brings more money to the institutions and is endorsed by universities/funding bodies, why departments close, why certain fields/sub-fields are considered “hot topic”, and you see positions mostly for them. Oh, wait, wait, one more example: you know how they ask what the main contribution of this work is when you are applying for funding. Well, they are not asking this to create evidence-based policies or for society’s good. They ask because they are curious if it can make money out of it, even in a small way. As long as the persuasion of knowledge and its value is awarded or better determined by financial means, you turn this whole structure into production, a mass production. – Alright, are you following me? Is everything okay? If you can’t, go read some social justice related books and then come back. Good. Let’s continue. – Mass production means that you’re capitalising the knowledge. Well, let me tell you something. If you are doing that, you are simply taking the joy out of the sciences, the fun of pursuing knowledge and the QUALITY OF IT. You are killing the curiosity. –Like I remember when I was writing my PhD thesis, I felt this dissatisfaction, the research was not exactly what I wanted to do, and I couldn’t see it as a meaningful thing.– You are not allowed to go and pursue things that maybe you are truly interested in. Instead, this becomes the reality: “oh that part sounds interesting. I wish I had time to look into it. I need to write 10 papers a year. Also, I need to write grants on this hot topic, so I guarantee the funding for my university to get the money and credibility, so I can keep my job”. We often complain about working for long hours, not getting paid for the labour we put in, having shitty conditions like short-term contracts and no job security. Guess what? Short-term contracts are built for the fast production of knowledge in a short amount of time, and hence, the exploitation of the worker (scientist) and the reduction in the quality.
What you see here is how universities function like businesses, much like industry. Seriously. You chose to be a scientist for learning, understanding, and creating something for society maybe, but, in a way, you ended up in the (academic) industry. That’s why you feel disconnected from academia or complain about things within academia –hmm, maybe something like inequality by any chance?? –. Go back and read how universities were structured exclusively for the elites. It was never accessible to all. Something that was supposed to be created for humanity’s collective knowledge ends up behind a paywall in a language only a specialist can understand, or data that you can only access through certain means. It is not open to all, one cannot participate from outside of these institutions. There are exceptions like citizen science or learning from indigenous knowledge and so on, but these are rare to find.
So what I’m saying is if you can sustain yourself in a way – because, let’s be real, we need money to survive – but find a way to feed and bring back the scholar in you, you can follow that path. If you reach this nirvana, let us know and tell us how obv.
Yours sincerely,
The Sassy Scientist
p.s. oof, this turned into a serious post, didn’t it? weeeell, you’re welcome for teaching you that class struggle and social justice are intertwined, and for a bit of class consciousness.
p.p.s. yes, you are working class. act appropriately.
p.p.p.s. I have not forgotten. Stop sending me emails. Here is the song rec for this post. Seriously, you gotta listen to Rage Against the Machine more.
