Academic Aunties

The last few weeks have been devastating. Like many of you, I have been feeling this sense of immobilization, of helplessness, as we witnessed Hamas’s attack in Israel that killed 1,400 civilians and the Israeli state’s  bombing of Gaza that, as of the time of taping in late October 2023, have killed over 8000 Palestinians, as reported by the Associated Press. We had a long conversation about whether we should proceed, as planned, with the episodes that we have in store for this season. But doing so didn’t feel right. Instead, we wanted to make sense of the truly awful things we are seeing around us.So this week, we're joined by Academic Aunties producer, Dr. Nisha Nath as we talk with Palestinian scholar and activist Dr. Jennifer Mogannam, an Assistant Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Jennifer talks to us about how to understand what is happening now by understanding the larger historical context.Related LinksPalestine Feminist Collective Digital Action ToolkitAn Open Letter from Columbia University and Barnard College Faculty in Defense of Robust Debate About the History and Meaning of the War in Israel/GazaLetter signed by over 140 prominant feminist scholarsMiddle East Studies Association Board Statement on Palestine and IsraelRace and Ethnicity Caucus at York Letter

Sara Ahmed, a feminist writer and independent scholar known for her impactful work in feminist, queer, and race studies, discusses her latest book, The Feminist Killjoy Handbook. The conversation reveals the power of the feminist killjoy in fostering community and resistance against oppressive norms. Sara shares personal stories about embracing identity beyond academia, the emotional complexities of diversity work, and the need for genuine activism over superficial engagement. The discussion also highlights the significance of citations as acts of love in acknowledging marginalized voices.

We are back to school! So why do we feel so exhausted? On the season 4 premiere Ethel and Nisha listen to some academic aunties audio diaries about how September is going so far. We talk about why there are so many deadlines at this busy time of the year and what we can do to help make things more manageable.Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

Season 3 finale! We conclude our series on academia in the UK and in Europe with Dr. Kidjie Saguin, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. In our chat we talk about his experiences moving from the Philippines, to Singapore, to the US and to the Netherlands across his academic journey and we explore other ways of being in academia.We'll be back in the Fall. See you then!Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

Since the end of April, the University and College Union in the UK has been on a marking strike to demand fair pay and working conditions that have deteriorated significantly. This week, we talk to Dr. Lucy Mayblin a Political Sociologist at the University of Sheffield, about what has been happening in UK academia, including how universities are transforming from institutions of public good to private institutions, and where university professors and staff are increasingly being made to act effectively as border guards with international students to create, quite explicitly, a hostile environment.In our conversation, we talk about the rise of neoliberalism in British academia, about how bordering practices are taking hold in UK universities, and ways for academics to take back their time.Related LinksUniversity and College Union Marking and assessment boycott 2023Backgrounder on the Hostile Environment PolicyThanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

Yilin Wang is an award winning writer, poet, editor, and translator based in Vancouver, and recently has been passionately working on translating the works of 19th century feminist poet, Qiu Jin. So it came as a bit of a shock when she found out that the British Museum--that big national institution, holder of stolen artifacts, and symbol of British colonialism--had been using her translations in a major exhibit without credit, and importantly, without permission.In this special "emergency" episode, we talk to Yilin about her fight to get the British Museum to own up to and rectify their mistake, and the broader systemic issues of erasure and academic theft that translators and writers constantly face. And we talk about how listeners can help by contributing to her legal fund to get the British Museum to make things right and ensure this never happens again.Donate now to the CrowdJustice fundraiser and help meet the goal of £15,000 by July 10!Related LinksYilin Wang's Personal WebsiteThe Lantern and the Night Moths, Yilin Wang's forthcoming book from Invisible PublishingTwitter thread documenting the fightThanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

Back from a fellowship in the UK, Dr. Ethel Tungohan talks to Dr. Eve Hayes De Kalaf about about cultures of backlash, processes of casualization, structured austerity, and the normalization of cruelty in academia in the UK post-Brexit. And once you're done listening, check out Dr. Eve Hayes De Kalaf's new book "Legal Identity, Race and Belonging in the Dominican Republic"!Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

"We regret to inform you..." Five words that academics read a lot. But no matter how many times you see it, it still hurts. On this episode, Dr. Ethel Tungohan is joined by Academic Aunties producer, Dr. Nisha Nath to talk about grant rejections, the feelings of sadness and disappointment that accompany rejection, and why often these things have nothing to do with merit.--Tweet from Dr. Ethel Tungohan on May 8, 2023:"A few PhDs are writing me sadly because they didn't get the SSHRC scholarship. A reminder to everyone: not getting it DOESN'T mean that you're not qualified or that your project lacks merit. The allocation of awards depends a lot on WHO is sitting on the committee."https://twitter.com/tungohan/status/1655626889887723532--Shout out to podcast Who do we think we are? by Dr. Michaela Benson--Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

After hearing about Bobbi Wilson, a budding 9 year old scientist who was a victim of anti-Black racism, Dr. Ijeoma Opara, a scientist at the Yale School of Public Health, was determined to make sure that her memories of science would not be of her horrible experience. So she mobilized her network of "Yale Aunties" to make sure that Bobbi knew that Black and Brown girls had a place in the world of scientists. You may have heard about this in a recent profile in the New York Times.On this episode, we are so pleased to have some of the Yale Aunties, Dr. Opara, Dr. Ashley Bell, Dr. Kristyn Carter, Dr. Ashley Bell and Dr. Aileen Fernandez, here to talk about the amazing day that they organized for Bobbi. And we get into the importance of mentorship, of dedicated spaces for Black and Brown scholars, and advice for other scientists who are constantly made to feel like they don't belong.Related LinksSomeone Called the Police on a Girl Catching Lanternflies. Then Yale Honored Her. (NY Times)Dr. Ijeoma Opara's WebsiteYale Black Postdoctoral AssociationYale Peabody MuseumThanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.

For many academics, especially those from global north and western institutions, we take our institutional and national identities for granted. But the reality is that the passports we hold and the institutions we're a part of shapes how we experience academia. This includes the hurdles that many experience to get visas, and the experiences that people have with immigration when crossing borders.To talk about these issues, we're so happy to have Dr. Anya Kuteleva, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Wolverhampton.Thanks for listening! Get more information, support the show, and read all the transcripts at academicaunties.com. Get in touch with Academic Aunties on Twitter at @AcademicAuntie or by e-mail at podcast@academicaunties.com.