Hegemonies and inequalities in academia

Abstract

Abstract This article reflects on the different inequalities that cut across academic spaces and the role that language plays in them, and uses this reflection to move towards proposing transformative strategies to overcome the current status quo. First, it explores the impact of the unequal distribution of economic and symbolic resources and the lack of recognition or misrecognition of many academics, both of which result in unbalanced participation in the field. These processes are illustrated through examples of research trajectories shared by women academics from generations who have experienced profound social transformations, even if incomplete. Second, in coherence with the goal of transformation, it explores what can be done in the here and now to change the academic field. Given the reticular functioning of power and resistance, I propose two paths forward: (1) taking action within the institutions we participate in, and (2) engaging in broader collective initiatives to combat oppressive hierarchies. Only by becoming collectively willing and capable of imagining beyond our current possibilities will we be able to overcome the contradictions we experience between the inertia that leads to reproduction and the impulse to transform the situation we live in. From this position we will then contribute to an inclusive epistemology that allows the building of more balanced, just, and reflexive communities and workspaces for all researchers and academics.