In “Academic Symbiosis: A Manifesto on Tenure and Promotion in Asian American Studies,” Wei Ming Dariotis discusses the ramifications of competition in the education system. Although it can be a good motivating factor, it also creates unnecessary stress and tension. Among students and faculty alike, competition could breed a toxic and hostile atmosphere. This constant anxiety takes a mental and physical toll on our bodies, our minds, and eventually, we reach a breaking point. In previous readings, we have seen the damages done to Asian American professors in the workplace, from their own peers. Subjected to such a draining atmosphere, every single day, it leaves people feeling hopeless.
Dariotis argues that rather than viewing one another as competition, we ally ourselves together, forming a coalition to provide support. Asian Americans have been pitted against each other, fighting. For positions, for resources, everything. We view our own people as the enemy, but the system is the one actively working to shackle us down.
But by investing in the community itself, strengthening our ties with fellow members, we can rise together and reach our goals. Cooperation combines our strengths and minimizes our weaknesses, and “academic symbiosis” bridges the gap between us.
Question: Where can people find opportunities to get more involved in their community in events, activities, and such?
Sources: Dariotis, Wei Ming. "Academic Symbiosis: A Manifesto on Tenure and Promotion in Asian American Studies.” Fight the Tower: Asian American Women Scholars' Resistance and Renewal in the Academy, Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde and Wei Ming Dariotis, Rutgers University Press, 2020.
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