Do you ever feel like you “can’t write theory”? If so, you’re not alone. Most of my workshop participants say that “writing theory” makes them feel: tortured | overwhelmed | stuck | in chaos | like an imposter But it’s not you! It’s what Barbara Christian affirmed decades ago—that dominant disciplinary structures distinguish between analytics that deserve to be counted …
How to Write-Out Your Theoretical/Analytical Approach Read More »
Do you ever feel too exhausted to write? Let’s be real. Internalized academic oppression exhausts us. Traumatic experiences in our fields and on our campuses can lead many of us to ruminate: Do I even have the right to be in academia? How is my critique any different than others who have already published on this …
Academic oppression is breaking us. Nearly every social justice-based scholar I know goes through it—especially junior BIPOC scholars. Despite our expertise, many of us question the very worth of our scholarship within the university. The university’s competitive, capitalist structures lead us to believe that we are never enough. Writing under the scrutiny of evaluations, gatekeeping, …
Are you constantly feeling stuck while you are writing? Do you know what leads many radical scholars to feel stuck? We don’t always feel like we are enough. Here are some of the ways I see it showing up: We constantly second guess our research ideas. We feel miserable about our research. We feel like …
Scholars working within or outside the university tend to have access to radical theories about topics like abolition, decolonization, intersectionality, queer justice, disabilty justice, and beyond. Yet far less opportunity exists to learn and develop radical methodologies. This problem has grave implications not only for scholars but also for the communities with whom scholars conduct …
The 3 R’s of Activist Research: Responsible, Relational, and Revolutionary (Part 1) Read More »
Over the years, I have been paying attention to the anxieties radical scholars face: imposter syndrome, overwhelm, and fear. Over and over, people tell me things like: I spend 50% of my writing time constrained by these anxieties. I go through complete despair. It feels like torture. I waste so much of my time anxious …
SAKINA for Easing Internalized Academic Oppression Read More »
