The university should be the place demonstrating socioecological change, serving as a site of experimentation and praxis (see Dunlap et al., 2023). This, however, could not be further from the truth. Beside advancing technologies of digital, political and military control (Chatterjee & Maira, 2014), not to mention genetic dissection and animal vivisection—or some degree of this (Pellow, 2014)—universities fail to enact real examples of socioecological of renewability and sustainability. How come universities are not overflowing with agroecology, permaculture and forest gardens on and inside universities? How come universities are not self-generating their own electricity needs through wind, solar and other lower-carbon infrastructures? We, unfortunately, are witnessing the opposite at university campuses around the world.
I would like to see this written up for a wider context because it’s not just a science problem. The Humanities, Arts, and pretty much the whole campus is the same in this way. It’s why I left academia. Universities are set up wrong because employee incentives make it a sort of feudalistic system. All you have to do is work as a professor for a few years and discover it’s pretty much the same as grad school. You don’t really collaborate with the people you work with every day in person. All your contacts are outside your home campus. Nothing useful for the world happens on the campus. You do that outside of the campus to gain “reknown” and your outside brand gets you cred on campus. Meanwhile, on your home campus, your so-called colleagues do everything they can to block any cross-listing of courses they can because the administration counts the beans. The department needs to generate credit hours. Cross-listing is viewed as bean subtraction.
Peep the link I shared, it’s from the Journal of Politcal Ecology. The author has more bits I’m meaning to dive into.
I think (another reason I left academia) you missed my point. You posted to a science place. My point is that it should be cross posted to many places.
Ha, we agree. I did misunderstand, forgive me. I don’t know honestly if I’m going to stay in this game either after this. Going to be a bit of a dice roll.
Well if you’re a scientist you have better paying options than i did when i left. I was in the Humanities. Still greener pastures and less bullshit for me. I guess I’ll try to be helpful: reprogram your career brain. In the real world, it isn’t all about you and your abilities or how smart you are. It’s just about what you already know from life and your special abilities you gained from work experience, plus your educational background. It was hard for me at first now it’s super easy plus im actually compensated for my work as i think is fair.
I’m an older PhD. I’ve already worked outside of it but found more of the same shit on the inside lol.
Well, im considered quite old myself. I’m no spring chicken. Please do consider posting a little wider when you find the time. I’m sure you have plenty if you’ve been promoted to full. All your little assistant profs are busier than you no doubt.