Academia Is a Cult: A Black Woman's Perspective

“Academia is a Cult: A Black Woman’s Perspective” *Why this original TEDx talk argues that the Academy is a Cult. *My perspective as a Black woman about the cult-ish practices of academia. This is a response to "“Academia is a Cult” By Karen Kelsey. (   • Academia is a cult | Karen Kelsky | TEDxUA...  ) Karen is also a former tenured professor and administrator, but she is not a Black women, so I am joining the conversation from a Black woman’s perspective. She describes herself as a cult escapee, argues that the Academy is not an economically secure or viable career, and supports her claims with statistics: ⁃ 95% of PhDs do not get a TT job ⁃ Only 2%-7% get a TT job ⁃ Only 1.2% get a TT job at a “leading” institution ⁃ Cultish aspects: ⁃ identity toed exclusively to academic accomplishments ⁃ leaving is like being cast out, all alone My experience is ver different form these statistics.. *Context: I am in the 1%. I got a tenure track job (actually, I had two tenure track jobs and was offered a third mid-career that I declined - all at “leading” institutions). So I have a different target audience. *My target audience is High Achieving Black women and Women of Color who “made it” - we already beat all the odds in terms of going to college, finishing grad school, getting tenure-track positions, earning tenure. *After 20 years the Academy, I quit my tenured associate professor position at a research one institution with a high salary, research budget, and funds for various initiatives. I have ZERO regrets! *For Black women, the cult-ish practices might include other things. Key words: Black academic, Black woman academic, Black woman professor, Black woman philosopher, philosophy, QuitLit, Academia as Cult