It's not often that I speak from the blog this way, commenting in singular first-person as opposed to the collective "we" of Performing Humanity. But this month calls me to it, with a double anniversary that has me reflecting not only about larger concepts of "humanness" or "humanity" but about my own performance within that spectrum.
May marks two milestones that shape this blog -- one directly and one indirectly. The first is PH's birthday, wherein the blog reaches the age of three. In the past few years, PH (and I) has been privileged to host the work of talented scholars and activists invested in the study and conditions of animals (human and non-human). Together we've built amazing collaborations and participated in meaningful campaigns. What began as a junior professor's inaugural foray into digital humanities has matured into an independent, interdisciplinary community that is over 30,000 strong and expanding. I am awed and looking forward to seeing what this next year will bring.
Another significant milestone for the blog occurs in May, affecting PH and its community in less direct but key ways. It is the first anniversary of my resignation from academia and my entrace into the world of Alt-Ac/Post-Ac. Managing the blog during this time took on new meaning for me. PH helped me to maintain relationships with scholars with whom I'd trained and worked in the previous 11 years, and it gave me a space for continuing my own research. Yet PH also became a space for sorting through my own transitioning identity; as a result, it began to transition as well. I continued to meet scholars -- academic and non-academic -- through this site. I also joined collaborations that explored how concepts of humanness, value, and dignity operate for communities of Alt-Ac, Post-Ac, contingent faculty, and graduate student communities. These large and growing populations of intelligent and accomplished individuals remind me that I'm in good company, and they push me to make PH a space of inclusivity.
As Dr. Holly Dugan recently discussed here, there is an irony to the traditional "academic conference," with its sometimes active denial and sometimes passive exclusion of certain populations from discussions about humanities, humanity, and humanness. Yet there's also an incredibly rewarding trend in certain academic, Alt-Ac, and Post-Ac circles to counterbalance this by considering how social media can assist in redefining concepts like "conference" in meaningful ways that diversify participants and dialogues. This is crucial for the survival of the academy. More than that, it's a necessary action for acknowledging the value of diverse trajectories now available (and sometimes required) of those trained by the academy.
"Survival" at its very root suggests our connection to animal drives that can be physical, psychological, and emotional. It is apt terminology for the experience of some non-traditional members of the larger intellectual world of academia, wherein dehumanization can result from the denial of healthcare, inadequate space for performing work, or a lack living wages, as well as dismissive attitudes towards intellectuals who confront these challenges in the course of their lives and work. Contingent faculty work within or departure from academic tracks is sometimes a desired choice, sometimes an imposition. But it is tied to the desire to maintain active membership in an intellectual community while also obtaining happiness in daily life. I have been incredibly fortunate in my transition to be surrounded by a supportive community composed of academics and non-academics who advised me, encouraged me, praised my successes, and taught me to forgive and move past my failures. Many have similar experiences, and many do not. Acknowledging this gap and opening a conversation about it is a major step, especially as we consider the graduate students who are preparing in large numbers to face a job market very different from those that preceeded them.
Moving ahead into this brave new year, I want to articulate clearly PH's ongoing policy:
We welcome work, collaborations, and commentary of quality and relevance from authors of all backgrounds.
We are open to discussions of "performing humanity" across historical periods, fields, and political spectra.
We look forward to continuing to maintining our existing and building new relationships with the intellectuals and activists interested in these topics.
Cheers to the readers and collaborators who fuel this blog. Here's to the next year!