What the Institution Wants from Us: The Dangerous Others of Writing Studies
Well behaved women seldom make history.
–Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.
–Senator Mitch McConnell, in response to Senator Elizabeth Warren speaking on the House floor
Inscribing a revolution ultimately recreates stasis.
–Louise Wetherbee Phelps
In part because the field of writing studies is a field largely comprised of women in a still white, heterosexual, masculine-dominated institutional framework, what happens when women and those who fall outside of the traditional male heteronormative constructions make trouble, even if it is “good trouble”? (Lewis). As we learn the expected behaviors of the academic world writ large, what happens when people push against the boundaries that have been set for them? What happens when we resist the very tactics that helped pave the way for those who came before us? What happens when we “persist,” even though we have been told not to?
This edited collection focuses on clashes that many of us have experienced in academia–for example, in our professional organizations, in our departments, in our institutional roles, in searching for work/life balance, in searching for “belonging,” or in attempting to question or rethink boundaries that have been set by others. How do we “combat” our organizational structures in ways that are non-punitive and non-violent, and don’t repeat the same institutional patterns of othering that have been imposed on us? We especially encourage pieces that help us to rethink concepts of access and gatekeeping, conflict and boundaries, persistence and belonging.
We welcome proposals for narrative, research-based, or combination pieces. If you have had an experience in academia that you think would fit the parameters above, please submit a 750 word abstract to Cheri Lemieux Spiegel (cheri.lemieux) and Lisa Mastrangelo (lmastrangelo919) by October 15, 2024. We view this call-for broadly–if you aren’t sure if your experience “fits” we encourage you to submit an abstract anyway.
Cheri Lemieux Spiegel, Northern Virginia Community College
Lisa Mastrangelo, Centenary University