The Liberated Scholars Series is a way to highlight the expansive capacity of scholarship outside of the confines of academic institutions. The goal is to connect with scholars whose work touches various disciplines but are all rooted in liberatory praxis, as a way to illuminate work being done to this end and to inspire emerging scholars who have been underserved by or blocked from academia. This series is a decolonial practice that challenges the supremacy of institutionalized knowledge production. This series intends to fruit ideas around how to integrate/center liberatory praxis in the pursuit of intellectual learning.
I originally founded The Black Syllabus as an attempt to remain engaged with scholarly work after graduating with my master’s (2017), particularly after realizing that going straight into a PhD program was not a sustainable option for me. I was set on pursuing a PhD eventually, because of how disconnected I felt from traditional corporate careership, and because of my mom & grandmama’s voices singing to me about the value of higher education. I was intent on pursuing a PhD even though I struggled in my master’s program in a way that I had never struggled with learning before. I know now that my struggle within academia was due to undetected/undiagnosed neurodivergence (autism + adhd, at least). I was a very strong student throughout grade school and in undergrad, but when I got to graduate school, I found that my neurodivergence couldn't keep up with the pace of study required to excel.
I finally enrolled in a PhD program in Fall 2021 determined to push through what I didn’t understand as neurodivergence, but dropped out after finally accepting the reality of my inability to conform. My neurodivergence makes it difficult for me to manage such a large workload at such a fast pace without getting overstimulated and overwhelmed, especially with the added strain of a full-time stipend that designates me “extremely low income.” I found that even disability accommodations were insufficient at addressing these issues. This perfect storm severely impacted my mental health resulting in regular panic attacks, making it unreasonable for me to keep shrinking myself into an educational structure that was not serving me. As interested as I am in this type of rigorous study, the amount that I was required to read, retain, and analyze in a very short amount of time was not accessible for me.
I came to the defeating conclusion that I was not cut out for academia, and to an extent this is true: I’m not able or willing to strain myself to fit into an outdated and rigid mold of knowledge production established by the ideals of whiteness that are not designed to account for wellbeing. I understand now that it’s not that I’m not a scholar — indeed there is a reason why I maintain a desire to engage with and understand more rigorous intellectual texts and ideas — I just need to be able to move at my own pace. My approach to study shouldn’t have to look this one particular way that is upheld by academia.
As a black trans* human who’s personal praxis is anchored in the pursuit of liberation for all oppressed peoples, I was also getting caught up in this idea that being a scholar was not productive to this end. I have since unlearned this, and understand now that radical political education and the branches of knowledge that spring from this place are actually essential to decolonial practice. It is my belief that traditional academic institutions are flawed and insufficient for liberatory praxis.
I am now focused on finding ways to pursue scholarly knowledge outside of the institution. I am working toward shifting The Black Syllabus into a space that approaches knowledge production from this decolonial space to liberatory ends. The Liberatory Scholars Series is one step to approaching this.
I will interview scholars (prioritizing Black TGNC folks) on what drew them to scholarship, what their journey of learning and knowledge production has looked like, their discipline of choice and where specifically their passions lie, and their suggestions on essential reading, especially reading that connects their discipline to liberatory struggle. For those scholars who are or have been institutionally affiliated beyond undergrad, I will chat with them about why they decided to pursue a terminal degree (if applicable) and what are the things they would change about their grad school experience. Interviews will be transcribed and shared across TBS channels, alongside a reading list based on the scholar’s suggestions.
I am excited for the opportunity to meet and chat with a number of scholars around their praxis as a way to both share their knowledge and suggestions with emerging scholars, and to establish connections for future TBS offerings. As I personally am trying to find my lane in terms of pursuing scholarship outside of the academy, I’m also looking forward to finding inspiration around my own direction, discipline, and accountability in my personal praxis.
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