Progress

Posted on | May 16, 2009 | 2 Comments

Thanks to everyone who sent messages of support in response to the rejections. What a weird week. After going public with all the feedback, a friend suggested I should write an opinion piece about it for the Higher Ed. I’ve sent it off and I think it might be getting published — although of course it’s my viability as a public sphere commentator that’s precisely at issue, isn’t it? Won’t get any hopes up.

Meanwhile, in an ironic twist, a couple of fairy godmothers forwarded the proposal to some editors who have given me much more encouraging responses. From drought to flood… Now I am in a panic to send sample chapters since the amount of time I’ve wasted feeling depressed and unmotivated has left me behind schedule in writing.

It just goes to show that what I say in the column is pretty accurate/ depressingly obvious: it’s not what you know in this business. This is but one story that highlights the economies of circulation, status and value underpinning the notion of “quality” that systems like the ERA are designed to assess.

Oh, and that the answer to any career-related question is always: networks.

Category: Academia, Politics
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Comments

2 Responses to “Progress”

  1. jean
    May 18th, 2009 @ 11:48 am

    Glad to hear things are looking up! will look for you in the paper – do you mean teh Aussie Higher Ed section? Anyway, fingers crossed it gets published.

  2. Published! : home cooked theory
    May 27th, 2009 @ 12:59 pm

    [...] opinion piece referred to previously is in the Higher Ed section of The Australian today. The print version has a very cute cartoon [...]

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