Week 1 | Eugine Hur | A03

Eugine Hur

ASA 002 A03

Week 1

In “Fight the Tower,” Professor Valverde sheds light upon the under-researched topic of work-place discrimination of women of color in academia. Despite the topic’s potential to be ignored as redundant, especially in current times when a “post-feminist” and “post-racist” society blindly claims credibility, Professor Valverde repudiates such naïve assumptions through her arrangement of research on the institutional flaws aimed at women of color in academia and her personal battle to win tenure.

Perhaps the most convincing aspect of Professor Valverde’s argument is its relatability. Although the topic of scrutiny is specific, Professor Valverde’s own experience and her methods of interpretation can be applied to any modern case of a marginalized individual’s fight against authority. In fact, her story adds a refreshing, memorable twist to what has become a cliché, idealistic genre of man vs. society.

As Professor Valverde mentioned in lecture, reality, when dissected, is a dystopia. While the concept of dystopia can be interpreted in various ways, I believe the realistic (seemingly unsolvable) issue at hand is the willingness of society to sacrifice an individual (or a group of minorities) to “ensure” the survival and well-being of others. Such practice is apparent in history, our current society, inside the academia, other work environments, and even in our daily social interactions; as Professor Valverde (2013) describes, “there is an epidemic” (p. 416).

But what if there are more being repressed than the actual repressors? Professor Valverde (2013) states, “Change is best achieved collectively” (p. 417). It is when we start to voice our stories that we learn that our struggles were part of a pattern of interconnected conflicts, and that marginalization occurs through isolation. Through this awareness, we gain not only the courage to escape the conveyor belt to collectively face the fires around us, but also to confidently acknowledge that there will always be new fires that erupt; each will be a new calling to unify.

In the end, it is true that society will always win against man. However, it is up to us to decide which side we will collectively stand on.

Although not distinctively American, I felt this video of the protests against former president Park Geun-Hye in South Korea strikingly symbolizes the concept of the collective fight against corrupt authority by the marginalized to protect their personhood, work and well-being. Having observed the events leading to and having participated in the protests myself, I was able to partake in the experience applicable to all struggles for empowerment and justice, including the “Fight the Tower” movement:

Question: what is the key difference between the scholars who ultimately win their battle for tenure and who don’t? Are there certain sacrifices that you feel must always be made, no matter the level of support?

References:

ThinkOutsideTheTV (2016, November 20). Retrieved April 05, 2017, from

     https://youtu.be/DWsDUyT7b4Q

Valverde, K. C. (2013). Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia.
     Seattle Journal for Social Justice, 12(2), 367-419.