About
Identity's a funny one, isn't it? How we choose to identify ourselves reveals a lot about what society prizes and prioritises. Yes, yes, I know, WE choose ourselves whether to open with 'I'm a tree-hugging, multi-linguistic 41-year-old who likes nights in and nights out', instead of 'I'm a young-at-heart optimist looking for the next great opportunity'. But actually, it's a mine-field out there. Who will judge me for being an environmentalist with extensive experience analysing complex sustainable development problems, instead of being an economist with deep knowledge of banking and capital markets? (I'll tell you who: a Fortune 500 company currently hiring a corporate sustainability head....) Will my audience be turned off by the fact that I'm 41 instead of 31? Should I start with my gender, or refuse to be defined by it, even though clearly it influences who I am and how I think, but on the other hand it shouldn't play any part in assessing my qualifications and abilities? Zizek, my favourite living philosopher, talks a lot about the problems of identity.
So given all that, how do I identify? I'm a fully-functioning human being, there's a lot about life that I love and a lot of people I love and respect. I'm extremely lucky. I'm mostly happy. I'm also super-frustrated by the inequalities, injustices and imbalances I see in the world (and not just in academia and the job market - they're just case studies). That's why I'm writing this blog.
So given all that, how do I identify? I'm a fully-functioning human being, there's a lot about life that I love and a lot of people I love and respect. I'm extremely lucky. I'm mostly happy. I'm also super-frustrated by the inequalities, injustices and imbalances I see in the world (and not just in academia and the job market - they're just case studies). That's why I'm writing this blog.