Ahmed Alhassan - A03 - Week 6

Akiko Takeyama describes the ordeals she went through to get tenure in An Opening: An International Asian Woman's Scholar's Fight. Her depiction of the stressful and lonely environment in academia for international women brings to light the story that many others, I think, are likely facing. If a dedicated and an accomplished woman such as her struggled this much to get her tenure, then I can't imagine what other may be experiencing at universities and colleges. I think that Akiko makes a good argument in pointing out the numerous difficulties that international scholars face at academic institutions besides stereotypes and racial bias. She mentions how international scholars require more legal paperwork if they don't possess a residency and this often leads to them living in fear, as their status depends on their job and tenure. I think her claim of feeling "powerless" really shows just how steep the climb up the hill is when it comes to fights for social and economic justice. It is easy to lose faith in the system and give up in situations like these. I sometimes feel that the fight is a lonely one, with very few people having the knowledge and education to know who their enemy is, and what is in their own best interests. It is disheartening, as the figure below shows, that minority groups make up such a small percentage of the faculty, and even a smaller percentage of tenured professors. Akiko's success story, I feel, could be an inspiration to others, as it is not every day that you see someone go though this much pain and keep fighting and win despite the odds stacked against them.

One question I have from the readings over the past few weeks is, do the authors feel fearful when writing and publishing their experiences at academic institutions and do they feel that it might jeopardize their career?

References:

“The NCES Fast Facts Tool Provides Quick Answers to Many Education Questions (National Center for Education Statistics).” National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education, nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=61.