Jennifer Nguyen Bernal Week 9 ASA 2 A02

Jennifer Nguyen Bernal

Professor Valverde

ASA 02

In the reading “Academic Symbiosis: A Manifesto on Tenure and promotion in Asian American Studies” by Wei Ming Dariotis, explain the need to create a support system in the academy that does not put a limit on students and faculty from working with each other by overcoming the ideas of hierarchies. Scholars in academia are rewarded by their work and labor to earn tenure and promotions. They have been able to gain power through the structure of academia, and do not want to lose that power that they have just got from tenure. Through her experience, there was an expectation that what she did was not enough for her to earn her tenure since the academic environment expected scholars of color to keep a low profile while doing the best research that won’t affect the structure in place. It was hard to understand, even though scholars finally earn tenure, they still have to deal with other obstacles. Their journey for scholars was fighting for equality in the academic setting at universities. Although I believe that the academic setting needs to be changed, some scholars and faculty want the academic structure to stay the same. Dariotis explains the academic structure has scholars that support the broken academic system to protect themselves from change and make scholars focus on their own goals instead of working on their goals together. Academic symbiosis is the idea to make faculty scholars, and students to work with each other in an environment that allows them to produce ideas, and learn from the mistakes they make. The university has already limited resources from departments. By having a collective action, scholars can support each other and not turn on each other about resources they can use to reach the same goal they all have. Collective learning is necessary to allow students to realize that they need to work with one another to support the communities that they serve and the individual that they are trying to empower. The university’s limited resources are one of many ways to create fear and oppression in the communities we serve. When overcoming the idea of failure, shame, sadness, and people putting students, including scholars down, people in academia can work with one another to best serve all communities. Academia needs to be a place where students and scholars can provide the best information to help the community that they serve and society.

How can academic symbiosis change the current academic structure to create positive changes when scholars can face backlash from the university? 

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Valverde, Kieu-Linh Caroline, and Wei Ming Dariotis. Fight the Tower: Asian American Women Scholars Resistance and Renewal in the Academy. Rutgers University Press, 2020.