The Pursuit of Knowledge, or the Varied Political Games We Play in Academia

Let's get real. As much as we who are involved with academia want to believe that there is a free-flow of thought and ideas in academia, we are kidding ourselves. It is not about reaching out and increasing the knowledge base for society as a whole, it is about competition. Who can come up with the "hot" new theory, and who will be the first to jump on that trend. Who can publish the most in the top most journals and win prestigious awards. Making contributions for the betterment of the world, and as a citizen of the world, has taken a back seat to personal glory and prestige. Chuck Palahniuk summed it up best (using an analogy with music): "This isn't about music, it's about winning. You stomp the competition with the bass line. You rattle windows. You drop the melody line and shout the lyrics. You put the foul language and come down hard on each cussword. You dominate. This is really about power."

And yes, that is essentially what it comes down to: the ability to control the direction of academic thought, legitimize certain areas of thought, and "other" those that are not mainstream or subscribe to alternate theories, despite sound evidence and data. And it isn't just that- it's also about WHO and WHERE. Want to go and study under a professor with your interests, at a "lesser" school- forget about getting a good job after your PhD. A pecking order exsists- if you are are an Ivy League, you are set. If you are a school with a alternate, interdisciplinary program- forget it.

What really made me think, and become frustrated with this aspect of academia, is my current search for that elusive fit of a PhD program. My professor told me frankly- I may want to forget a program in Germany or India if I want to get a job in the U.S.- there is a pecking order and I would be fighting an uphill battle, because let's face it- it's also about the funding. I could be a poor scholar my whole life.....or go to a more "mainstream" program, that isn't making innovation or new contributions, but rather, reaffirming knowledge that is taken for granted and not challenged or expanded upon.

Well, I better suck it up. Because wherever you end up with a career in life, there are going to be politics.....


Song for the Day: "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X" by The Fall of Troy
Slow down this is slippin' through my mind,
this conversation has run out of time.
Honey I know you know what I mean,
and that's the one thing that you soon will find.
I know that you really wanna go,
my mind is runnin' outta gas just relax,
and recap, and relapse.