When I completed my M.A., I had a choice to make. My thesis professor, on the verge of retirement, was one of the foremost Medievalists in the country, and he was strongly supportive of my going on for my PhD. And my original aim, when I went back to college in my 30s, was to become a professor. That was my career dream--a path out of th…
When I completed my M.A., I had a choice to make. My thesis professor, on the verge of retirement, was one of the foremost Medievalists in the country, and he was strongly supportive of my going on for my PhD. And my original aim, when I went back to college in my 30s, was to become a professor. That was my career dream--a path out of the working poor class, doing something I loved.
But I had discovered, during my time in grad school, just how completely the Far Left had taken over my subject area. I had turned to Medieval Studies as a sanctuary from the Wokeness (although it wasn't called that quite yet). But getting hired as a tenure track professor, even in Medieval Studies, would require running the gauntlet of a Far Left hiring committee who would use shibboleths to detect how far Left (and thus how acceptable) a candidate was. And I had also read some articles that indicated that Wokeness was going to seep into Medieval Studies sooner rather than later.
So I chose not to pursue my PhD. There are still days when I regret that--when I miss the rigor and excitement of academic discovery. But I have never been willing or able to pretend that I am someone I am not. And the idea of pretending to be Woke in order to get and keep a job makes me deeply ill, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
When I completed my M.A., I had a choice to make. My thesis professor, on the verge of retirement, was one of the foremost Medievalists in the country, and he was strongly supportive of my going on for my PhD. And my original aim, when I went back to college in my 30s, was to become a professor. That was my career dream--a path out of the working poor class, doing something I loved.
But I had discovered, during my time in grad school, just how completely the Far Left had taken over my subject area. I had turned to Medieval Studies as a sanctuary from the Wokeness (although it wasn't called that quite yet). But getting hired as a tenure track professor, even in Medieval Studies, would require running the gauntlet of a Far Left hiring committee who would use shibboleths to detect how far Left (and thus how acceptable) a candidate was. And I had also read some articles that indicated that Wokeness was going to seep into Medieval Studies sooner rather than later.
So I chose not to pursue my PhD. There are still days when I regret that--when I miss the rigor and excitement of academic discovery. But I have never been willing or able to pretend that I am someone I am not. And the idea of pretending to be Woke in order to get and keep a job makes me deeply ill, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.