The 'Everyday-ness' of Academia: Who am I and Why am I starting this Blog?

 

Hi fellow researchers, 

I hope you are reading this blog with a cup of coffee, tea or any hot beverage of your preference because as you read further, I want you to feel the warmth of the words that come your way. I am a 25-year old researcher, working at India's Jawaharlal Nehru University,born and brought up in a small town in Rajasthan. I begin with my Ph.D. in 2021 and as two years passed by, I have come to the conclusion that a lot of academia is very hollow, careerist and insensitive. The ruthless competition, high-achiever syndrome and non-collaborative attitude among peers can be heartbreaking and trust me, it can break you to the core. This is pessimistic, but this is my inspiration to start this blog. During many of the discussions with my peers, one thing that would always come up is the absence of an experience sharing platform, where researchers just talk about and share the most granular details of their lives in academia, apart from their core research topics. For the years that you remain a part of this field, your life revolves around it. Unlike some other professions, where you can actually focus on your daily life post your office hours, we as researchers keep on thinking about our work 24*7.

Remember waking up at 2 a.m. midnight just to jot-down an idea that you want to work upon so that you don't miss it once again? Remember keep brushing on your teeth for 20 odd minutes because you are into your own thoughts about comments from your supervisor? Remember those sleepless nights which you spend pondering over the expense that you have to manage this week because your fellowship has been delayed?- There is so much that I can go on and on about. And this is what this blog is all about. We will talk about the 'everyday-ness' of academia and nothing grand, big or out-of -the-world. I will appear every ten days to write about things upon which all of us can connect, talk, discuss and initiate conversations. Also, to avoid making this blog a repository of my personal experiences, I will also share some tips and suggestions concerning different issues encountered by many early-career researchers. And your comments are wholeheartedly invited so that we can learn from each other. So, you can expect occasional posts on topics like- how to cultivate a habit of writing regularly? OR 'how to make notes for review of literature'? OR 'how to craft a research proposal' OR 'some important readings on research methodology' OR 'how to navigate through imposter syndrome in academia'. 

Apart from all of this, a small cautionary note for you all. I write a lot and I write with a lot of passion and emotion. My disciplinary training in political science has equipped me to produce a lot of criticism, which can sometimes be ruthless-  criticism of power hierarchies existing everywhere, more specifically in academia, as I form an active member of this space. So, a lot of posts are definitely going to be about resource inequality between universities of Global North and South, how elites-generated academic vibe alienate researchers from the margins, about how women and sexual minorities are discriminated against in these spaces and so on. I also believe that academicians have to have political positions and a lot of questions have already been raised upon the vacuous idea of 'value-neutrality' among researchers. So accordingly, I have my socio-political stances and they are clearly reflected in the kind of analysis or writing that I do. To make it more clear, my allegiance lie with the people of Global South who have bear the brunt of colonialism-both material and intellectual. My solidarity lies with people suffering at the hands of global imperial powers. I extend my unconditional support to oppressed people of all lands- people of working class anywhere and everywhere, oppressed caste and religious groups, gender and sexual minorities, marginalized linguistic groups and people fighting for their rights to self-determination.

I firmly believe that the academia, as hierarchical a space as it is, is more tougher to navigate through for all the people talked about above. It would be my utmost priority to write about issues that might be of any relevance to all the oppressed people who despite all the roadblocks, are trying to make a a space for themselves in this unequal academic world.

I hope that by now your cup would have been emptied. Hope to see you next time, with a new post. For starters, just dropping in a very useful text if you are getting started with your Ph.D.  Please read: Prof. Patrick Dunleavy's 'Authoring a PhD How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation'. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-0-230-80208-7

With Love and Strength, 

Khushbu :)