Activism in Academia
2017-2022

Activism in Academia began in 2017 as an interdisciplinary, day-long symposium organized to initiate a larger conversation between faculty and students about the value of apolitical and political work — in our classrooms, on our campuses, and in our scholarship — especially as it relates to activism within underrepresented communities. Originally hosted at the CUNY Graduate Center, it has since evolved into new iterations, always maintaining its commitment to collaboration with those within and outside of the CUNY community. A in A was only made possible through the incredible support of the CUNY Center for the Humanities at the CUNY Graduate Center, particularly: Kendra Sullivan, Samuel Starkweather, Alisa Besher, and Jordan Lord. You can find links to programs, speakers, and collaborator profiles below.

Co-organizers: Rosie Dhipinder Walia & Olivia Loksing Moy
Click below for full programs and speaker details.

Activism in Academia 1, April 2017 |Activism in Academia II, February 2018 | Activism in Academia III, April 2019

Activism in Academia IV: Adjuncts in Action and Dialogue

July - October 2020

Co-organizers: {Fall} Hank Williams, Lise Esdaile, Michael Cotto, Sophia Su, Vani Kanaan, David Hyman, Sophia Hsu, Melissa Castillo-Planas, and Olivia Loksing Moy; {Spring} Lise Esdaile, Nicole Flores, & Olivia Loksing Moy

Speakers: {Fall} Brittany N. Fox-Williams, Sarah Ohmer, Stacey Engels, Yenick Gonzalez, and Justin Porter Stephens; Mary Phillips, Sonia Adams & Nadia Kalman, Fred Johnson, Wendy Xin, Hank Williams & Sophia Hsu, Michael Cotto & Olivia Moy {Spring}: Rodney Terich Leonard, Livia Corona Benjamin, Lola Lafon, Janine Windolph.

In the summer of 2020, A in A transformed into a collective of organizers, meeting for monthly seminars from July through October. Inspired by emails in protest signed by Prof. Lise Esdaile, we felt the need to create spaces of equity and inclusion for our adjunct colleagues in particular. Activism in Academia IV was born—in the thick of the pandemic—as an online meeting ground for faculty to share their scholarship and workshop their research, creative work, and teaching.

Activism In Academia: Adjuncts in Dialogue & Action is a weekly forum for part-time and full-time faculty to present scholarly and creative works in the humanities and social sciences, as well as share experiences as scholars of color in higher education. It is a radical space committed to anti-racist, feminist, queer and critical race theory that emphasizes the work of BIPOC scholars and theorists and the decolonization of fields that have been predominately white. We are particularly interested in highlighting the contributions of underrepresented populations in academia by changing the demographics and critical lenses of academia. This space bridges multiple divides: full-time/part-time, creative/critical work, scholarly/public audiences, teaching/scholarship. Presentations on works in progress or recent publications, roundtable discussions, and creative performances and readings are most welcome.

We are publicizing the series in order to highlight the strong ties between part-and full-time colleagues' research, teaching, and advocacy work and to raise awareness around the impacts of issues related to systemic racism, austerity, and job insecurity on adjuncts' careers, but Adjuncts in Dialogue & Action is a space for having protected, vulnerable conversations. ​

Activism in Academia IV: Adjuncts in Dialogue & Action was co-sponsored by the Gittell Urban Studies Collective at the Graduate Center, CUNY, the URBAN Research Network, and the Center for the Humanities at The Graduate Center, CUNY.

Activism in Academia V: Friday Forums & Honors Research Colloquium

Spring 2022

In the Spring of 2022, Activism in Academia became a platform for exposing undergraduates at Lehman College to scholarly research, better preparing students, particularly in the honors cohorts (Lehman Scholars Program and Macaulay Honors College) for their senior capstone theses and graduate study. Faculty presentations, alumni spotlights, and collaborative lectures highlighted different aspects of research for first-generation college students, from scholarly publishing, to securing lab positions and internships, to recognizing disabilities, and navigating imposter syndrome. Lehman faculty from various departments and guest faculty shared their research methods and personal academic journeys with an interdisciplinary audience of colleagues, students, and prospective high school students.

Click below for full program details.