ID 914001506
The week’s readings were a shock to my original view of the university.
I believed the university was a place of educational learning where academic
thought can grow and flourish for everyone. Professor Valverde’s personal
accounts detailed in Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of
Color in Academia gave me insight
to the reality of the power structure of the academic system. The wide range of
discrimination she endured based on disability, motherhood, race, and class are
traumatic experiences that no one should have to live through. I do not have
similar experiences to the severe acts of discrimination mentioned in the text,
but I can relate to that feeling of being isolated and alone with no one to
turn to. At one moment in my life, I had a feeling of helplessness and held the
notion that I had to shoulder this struggle alone. Fortunately, I realized that
there are others who can support me much like how Professor Valverde had allies
in her fight for tenure.
The theme of
power was focused in the lectures through the pepper spray video. The video clip
of the pepper spray incident highlighted the abuse of power by those with
authority in order to maintain the status quo. This is much like the argument
made in this week’s readings in which Professor Valverde explains how academic
institutions are structured in a way that oppresses minorities such as Asian
American women while preserving control at the top. In the video, force was
used as an attempt to snap the oppressed, the student body, back in line and
become docile. If the student protestors were victorious in reversing the hike
in tuition fees, then the power of those in top in the university would not be
absolute. That crack in power would threaten the current establishment of
authority.
The discussion
about race also connected to the theme of power. Race is a social construction
made by those with power to legitimize their place in the hierarchy. Genetics
served as a way to scientifically justify the reasoning that whites were
superior. It was interesting to learn about the legal cases in which it was
okay to go from white to black, but it was illegal to go from black to white.
It seems to be interpreted as a downgrade and upgrade in life, respectively.
Question: Is it inevitable for a power structure to become consumed in preserving itself, even if the original intentions were to the benefit of the people?
References:
Valverde, K.L.C. (2013). Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of
Color in Academia.
Plympton, B. Board of Directors. [Image]. Retrieved from https://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~vburris/whorules/
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