Micro-activism and Wellbeing: 1,000s of Snowflakes and the Potential Avalanche

Collective, The Kintsugi; Wall, Tony; Robinson, Sarah; Callahan, Jamie L.; Elliott, Carole; Padan, Tali; Kjærgaard, Annemette; Blasco, Maribel; Bergmann, Rasmus

doi:10.4135/9781529757187.n35

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…However, putting this ambition into practice has proven challenging-when we first attempted to submit a manuscript under our collective name, the submissions system required us to list our names in a specific order, and when we queried the journal about this, we received a response from the copy editor: "the names have been added during styling as I wanted to acknowledge the contributing authors for the chapter." Although we did not get our way, and our names were listed in random order after our collective name (Wall et al, 2021), this incident shows both how difficult it is to open conversations with editors and line managers, but at the same time that it is possible to subtly challenge both academic publishing conventions and individualistic academic reward systems. Other examples of anti-individualist practices include praising collegiality in contexts where individual academic "excellence" parameters are foregrounded and/or celebrated (see e.g.…”

Section: The Three I's: Instrumentalization Individualization Intensi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of scathing critiques have recently been leveled at contemporary academia (see Harley, 2019). Neoliberal performativity, an instrumental, metrics orientation in publication, and a highly individualized incentive system have produced instrumentalist, intensified and individualized workplaces-the three 'I's-that raise doubts about whether academia can still be engaged and impactful (Harley, 2019;Sandhu et al, 2019;Wall et al, 2021;Whelan, 2015). As many other scholars have noted, the combined ramifications of the "performative university" shrink the space for how it is possible to be an academic (see Jones et al, 2020), and within that role to conduct excellent intellectual work -as opposed to just academic work (Ang, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Subtle activism: Heterotopic principles for unsettling contemporary academia from within

et al. 2023

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Research on academic activism tends to foreground vociferous and explicit forms of activism that pursue predefined political agendas. Against this backdrop, this article proposes that academic activism can take more subtle forms. Writing as an academic activist collective, we unpack what subtle activism might look like within the context of contemporary academia. We use Foucault’s concept of heterotopia to argue that subtle activism can expand the space of what is possible in academia today by experimenting with quietly unsettling norms rather than overtly opposing or rejecting them. We offer a set of principles that might underpin a subtle activist agenda, extrapolated from practices from colleagues and from own activist collective. We hope that these principles may serve to inspire other academics wishing to engage in subtle activism by unsettling everyday practices that discreetly challenge the status quo, thereby contributing to gently shifting the agenda for how it is possible to conduct intellectual work in the contemporary neoliberal university context.

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Section: The Three I's: Instrumentalization Individualization Intensi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subtle activism: Heterotopic principles for unsettling contemporary academia from within

et al. 2023

Self Cite

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“…Recent empirical work exposes the ways in which the current managerial apparatus persists in delivering work intensification, despite public cases of emotional and physical damage to academic workers (Kintsugi Collective, 2021). This apparatus is so deeply entangled in daily life, it has normalized the fast-paced environment of modern academe in which senior leadership is both disconnected and intolerant (McCann et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hiding in plain sight: Exploring the complex pathways between tactical concealment and relational wellbeing

et al. 2023

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We argue that the current environment in higher education is one of the primary drivers for the widespread adoption of concealment tactics with the aim of enhancing wellbeing. To explore the relationship between concealment and wellbeing, we draw upon Scott’s conceptualization of “hidden transcripts” and Keyes’s five dimensions of social wellbeing. Using a collaborative ethnographic approach, we examine a 2-year period of individual and collective inquiry by an eclectic multidisciplinary, international group of academics. Our empirical and theoretical contributions expose a complex and, at times, seemingly contradictory relationship between tactical concealments and relational wellbeing, with variously generative and destructive pathways between them. Our research offers a lens through which we can critically explore and extend our understanding of alternative pathways to wellbeing in organizational life.

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“…As Deschner et al (2020) argued, resisting the neoliberal university requires finding theoretical tools that encourage taking action rather than falling into despair. In this study, we evade the 'insidious power structures' (The Kintsugi Collective et al, 2021) of the managerialist university by creatively using the resources (time and money) associated with the popularised global EDI agenda within HEIs (Ahmed, 2006). We share insights from working with students as partners (Bovill et al, 2016;Dickerson et al, 2016) in co-created JEDI projects.…”

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confidence: 99%

Trojan horses: Creating a positive hidden (extra)curriculum through a Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) initiative

Keshtiban

Gatto

Callahan

2023

Management Learning

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In this paper, we describe a mechanism for subverting the institutional-level neo-liberal hidden curricula of responsibility learning in universities by using a positive hidden curriculum based on extra-curricular activities partnering staff and students. In our study, we leverage projects from an institution-sponsored Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) initiative as notional ‘Trojan horses’ to instil within university students a more reflexive awareness of responsibility that they can take with them when they graduate. In delivering this positive hidden (extra)curriculum, staff are seemingly performing the formal agenda of the institution’s responsibility agenda while undermining its managerialist hidden curriculum by working in tandem with students. Our key findings – student reflection and voice – are evidence of the positive hidden curriculum implementation. Our contributions are twofold. First, we demonstrate that positive hidden curricula can serve as a tool of micro-activism to subvert managerialist hidden curricula. Second, we offer another dimension to Semper and Blasco’s interpersonal strategies for challenging the hidden curriculum by showing that collaborative projects between students and staff can be sites of a positive hidden (extra)curriculum. Collaborative initiatives such as the ones we describe in this article provide a tangible foundation for reconsidering creative and intrinsic approaches to responsible learning environments.

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Micro-activism and Wellbeing: 1,000s of Snowflakes and the Potential Avalanche

Abstract: As a collective, we want to embrace the spirit of kintsugi in work -"ultimately to guide shadows to beauty's ends".

Cited by 5 publications

References 46 publications

Subtle activism: Heterotopic principles for unsettling contemporary academia from within

Subtle activism: Heterotopic principles for unsettling contemporary academia from within

Hiding in plain sight: Exploring the complex pathways between tactical concealment and relational wellbeing

Trojan horses: Creating a positive hidden (extra)curriculum through a Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) initiative

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