Publish or Perish versus Community Engagement and Activism

I found this unpublished gem today. Now that I am on the other side of tenure, I figured I would share some of my (previously unpublished) thoughts…

 

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I am in my third year on the tenure track as an assistant professor. I have had a fair number successes, a few failures, and some major obstacles.

As I have highlighted elsewhere, I have been successful in the area of publishing my work–I have co-edited three books and written book chapters and journal articles. I have two books on the way and a slew of working papers. I am proud of all of it all.

Yet, I am struggling to feel completely fulfilled. With my roots in activism, organizing, and community engagement, I long to be more deeply connected with my communities– be they my neighborhood, region, university, or identity group. I have tried to attend local meet-ups and meetings; I have presented a different community events. Yet, it is not enough.

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For reference, I am now in my 5th year. 

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