And forgive typos (or don't, what ever makes you happy).
Thank you.
Addendum: I remember once reading a quote that when something along the lines of: "The reason there is so much acrimony in university life, is because the stakes are so low".
20/20 Apologies that this thread has been light on solutions. I intend to write a piece on what could be done to improve things in the university sector. But if you're struggling right now, solidarity. Try to remember it isn't life of death. Deadline are never hard.
19/20 Gaslighting rhetoric from management about self-care and initiatives, mental health check-in and mindfulness sessions. I remember saying in one meeting that I'd prefer if I could just have adequate teaching and support staff, rather than being told to focus on breathing.
18/20 As universities now operate under neoliberal models, the notion of academic identity needs to be rethought. That probably has to be something that only individual academics can do themselves. It's the massive elephant in the room, just how much HE function on goodwill of the staff.
17/20 For me the element of imposter syndrome was also a huge factor. Getting into academia, I always felt was a massive slice of luck. And at any minute it could all be over. Choosing to leave HE I had to confront the notion that I was an imposter, because in the end I couldn't hack it.
16/20 There’s a reason why the term “love” comes up often when discussing academic identity. It’s about passion for the ideals we hold, but it also reflects the emotional attachment that seems to develop to our sense of self. Work won't love you back is lesson I wish I could have learned.
15/20 Sarah Jaffe, in the book Work Won’t Love You Back (which I highly recommend, particularly the chapter on academia), explores how work has come to define personal identity. It's really interesting on how the role has changed in the neo-liberal context.
14/20 This profound sense of identity is reinforced by the idea that academia offers freedom—intellectual autonomy within a system of support. But this freedom is increasingly compromised by bureaucratic constraints and managerialism.