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Cultural Capital Doesn't Pay the Rent

adjunct faculty organzing to change higher ed

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Posted on May 11, 2020 by Jessica Lawless

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An artist’s activist bio for the end of capitalism

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Why Adjunct?

Not everyone agrees with using the term “adjunct" as an umbrella term for non tenure track faculty. For me there is an issue of referring to any group by a single plural adjective. When we use “adjunct faculty,” or “adjunct professor,” I don’t have an issue with the word “adjunct.” Regarding the definition of the term, it is accurate to how administration thinks of us and has designed our working conditions. As one who has identified as queer for more than two decades, I am down with reclaiming pejorative terms. Queer once indicated a politicized identity. The movements of the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s that acted up and fought back, telling the dominant culture trying to disappear us altogether or at the least keep us closeted, “We’re here, we’re queer! Get used to it!” I think a fantastic part of the adjunct movement has been reclaiming a pejorative institutional name, shifting the meaning to a strong movement fighting back against a practice intended to destroy academic freedom and the economic security an education once offered. So I call myself a former adjunct professor turned union organizer and wear it with pride. As the LGBT, I mean LGBTQ, I mean LGBTQQIA, I mean LGBTQQIAA2P I meant QUILTBAG movement has shown us, what’s in a name? (from Reclaiming the Artist https://extraordinaryfacultynfm.wordpress.com/2016/03/18/reclaiming-the-artist-organizing-through-art-part-1/)

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