On refinding/rewilding the academic ‘self’
Have you lost your way in the academia?
Academic culture can make us feel tired, depleted and exhausted. It is a culture that privileges production (indeed, overproduction) and competition, usually within a very narrow set of criteria. We are often told that mental health problems are on the rise, but most of us do not even need to hear this to know this kind of work is toxic both to our selves – bodies, minds, spirits – and to those around us, be they human or more-than-human, ‘individuals’, networks, or worlds.
Over the past year(s), dozens of people have told me the same thing: the wash-and-rinse cycle of the academic year leaves them too exhausted to develop longer-term or sustained strategies of resistance. Increasingly, our struggles against this academic monoculture – a form of life that colonises and defeats all other forms of life that we are/can be part of – are themselves dictated by only the topics but tempos of the academic year, as we struggle to balance the demands of the workplace, relationships, and deteriorating political, social, and climactic conditions. The net result is burnout; this leads many of us to leave, or even turn against, forms of organisation, networks, and life that can be used to develop meaningful alternatives.
How do we find a way out of this impasse? This series of anti-workshops is meant for everyone with whom these words resonate. For anyone and everyone who feels like they have lost their creative spark, curiosity, sense of wonder, or whatever else brought them to the academia in the first place. For everyone considering leaving. For everyone who thinks there has got to be a way out of here – but is afraid of getting lost in the woods while looking for it.
The series of anti-workshops runs over the course of the academic year, from September to June. It is delivered online/by email, can happen at any time (that suits you), and costs nothing to attend. It requires no commitment, features no set schedule, no mandatory/expected attendance, and no obligation to produce anything. Wild, right?
If you want to learn more, read on. If you are already convinced, below is a very simple form to sign up – you’ll get an email with the details.
Enter your email and you will receive the full description.
Who is this for?
This series of anti-workshops is for people at any stage of what we call the “academic career” – though burnout tends to correlate with time, precarity, and a few other characteristics, so it’s more likely you will find yourself here if you have had some working experience in the academia. It is not a programme of training or education, least of all an accredited one (if anything, it’s a programme of unlearning) – so bear in mind there will be no set ‘skills’, ‘knowledge’, or ‘outcomes’ for you to expect to acquire, although you may discover you have developed some along the way.
The majority of communication and materials will be in English, so you would probably need a good standard of reading/spoken English to be able to participate.
All group/discussion sessions will be delivered online, so you will probably need a good and stable Internet connection to participate, but this is entirely optional.
What does it consist of?
It’s a series of 10 writing/thinking/reflection prompts, sent to you by email, one each month, followed by (optional) discussion sessions/group calls, online (likely Zoom) and lasting an hour, where we will have the chance to discuss any thoughts, feelings, and reactions to that month’s prompt (and even share yours, if you wish!). The series runs from September to June – in parallel with the academic year, but to allow us to reflect on and engage with the cycle of the seasons.
How does it work?
Each month, you will receive a short written prompt. You can choose how to engage with it – whether you want to reflect on it, do something (including write, draw, sing, dance, or create in any other kind of way), or ignore it altogether (ignorance is also work). At the end of each month, we will have a one-hour group call (online), which you can choose to attend, to reflect on some of the thoughts, reactions, and feelings this has raised. You may share some element of what you have created or done, but this is by no means expected or required – it’s not a feedback, critique-and-commentary, or reviewer session.
In case you are looking for more structured support, or would like feedback on your work, you can also book one (or several) of one-on-one mentoring session/s I run regularly.
FAQ
Do I need to attend all 10 sessions?
No. You can choose to attend as little as none, as many as ten, or anything in between. You can also run a session for yourself and another group!
I am in a very different time zone from what seems to be your local. Will the sessions be at a time that fits my schedule?
The sessions will be at a time that fits a wide array of timezones (likely 2pm UK time), but, of course, this still isn’t the whole world. That said, you are more than welcome to run a separate set of sessions on the same topic! No copyright and no limits.
Will the sessions be recorded?
No.
Will I end up on some weird Patreon/substack/subscriber email list?
No. If you choose to share your email (which you will need to do if you wish to receive links for ‘live’ sessions), it will expressly not be used for any other purpose.
Can I attend anonymously?
You will receive prompts either by email or as a link to post, so by definition yes. For ‘live’ sessions, we do ask you to have a name displayed as minimum and some kind of visual semblance, so as not to weird out other participants. That said, you can have any name you choose and any avatar – no-one will ask your real name and you will not be asked to introduce yourself by title, gender (though you may choose to share your preferred pronouns), location, institution, or any other identifier.
Does it cost anything?
All of this is free (I work part-time precisely to be able to do stuff like this, rather than have all of my time controlled by an employer). That said, if you would like to express gratitude, support, or give a donation for the work I do or any of the causes/issues I support and care about, there’ll be ways to do that.
Would you like to participate? The first prompt arrives by 20 September. Register below!
The inspiration for this anti-workshop, and for many other things, is thanks in part to this genius cartoon by Capybaras at Work. I’m in no way connected to them, but they’re brilliant!
Jana Bacevic 