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Writer's pictureJennifer Beech

Confronting Theory Part 2

I wrote a post on this earlier, but I feel I like this entry is closer to what I wanted to say.


Humanities scholars read a lot of theory, especially high theory. You teach it too. I’m sure you are familiar with Marxism, Neo-marxism, structuralism, post-structuralism, postmodernism, feminism (all the waves), as well as activist scholarship in LBGTQ+ studies, fat studies, trans studies, you name it. I’m sure you have your favorites.


All this theory can present worldviews that can inhibit your move out of the academy if you’re not careful.


It’s hard to interview at a big tech company as a Neo-marxist. If you do get a job there, you could be working alongside many people who fit the very definition of “white privilege” you seek to interrogate. Are you gonna be okay with that?


And if you think you can hide it, think again.


If you don’t like capitalism, that’s fine. But you may find that belief limits you in a capitalist society.


To move out of the academy, you gotta decide what you really believe about the world. That may or may not line up with all the theory you’ve been reading and teaching for the last few years. If you believe corporations are greedy, evil, and exploitive, it’s gonna be hard to work for one.


Now, you can certainly not work at a for-profit company if you choose. However, here’s something to consider about non-profit organizations–they still need money; they still have operational costs. For-profit and non-profit are tax designations. One isn’t “better” or “holier” than the other. Choose where you want to work based on your own convictions. It would be a shame to write off a whole industry because of a stereotype.


I find this to be some of the hardest, emotionally taxing mental work that people in other industries don’t do to the same extent. It takes time to separate yourself from all the ideology of the academy.


So what do you believe about the working, capitalist world?



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