Thread by @adelinekoh

Things I do not miss about academic discussions now that I’ve left, a 🧵:

- In most discussions I’ve been in I see that participants are often barely listening to one another. They are just waiting for their turn to speak and show off their brilliance.

It’s why these are often not real discussions, because participants rarely deeply engage with one another. It’s mostly peacocking.

- Courtly manners. In more sanguine environments, most discussions take place whereby the participants make superficial nods to one another’s work, for the seeming purpose of showing what an intellectual powerhouse is currently at the table.

These nods aren’t actually to build community; more to establish how self important the group is. This often means that the group rarely discusses things outside of its own work, making the whole discussion just
repeated navel gazing.

- A lack of interest in promoting less privileged or unheard voices. Academia functions like most industries on the currency of prestige. If you appear to lack this, your voice is rarely paid attention to in the discussion.

In much of my work when I was an academic promoting less heard voices was a big part of my agenda, but I saw very few other folks doing this.

This of course has been my own experience of the industry, but I have moved throughout numerous fields, and while the bodies and topics are different, I usually see these dynamics being repeated over and over again.

It is also why I find most academic discussions boring. Especially because the navel gazing and pontification rarely lead to anything productive that make a real difference.

This is not meant as a critique of individual academics. I know many folks whose work I respect and I have learned a lot from.

It’s more of a critique of the modes of discussion that I see prevalent in academic work, which I am glad I no longer have to feel I have to perform now that I’ve left.

TY for reading. 🙏🏽

#academia #highered #leavingacademia #quittingacademia #postacademic