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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Has McKinnon been sacked?

91 replies

Threesoups · 04/07/2019 22:47

Maybe I'm reading McKinnon's tweets wrong but it sounds like it. McKinnon is arguing that not publishing in academic journals was held against McKinnon, and that this is unjust because McKinnon publishes on Twitter, amongst others.

twitter.com/rachelvmckinnon/status/1146735736231735297

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TskingSquirrel · 05/07/2019 16:54

Lurking American academic here; I teach at a very similar (and similarly kind of mediocre) college, but in a different field. I've read and written a lot of the kind of evaluation documents that got excerpted; they're generally confidential but the person at the heart of the case does get copies. Most of us don't then go post bits on Twitter, but...

One of the central questions in a tenure case is whether there is a reasonable expectation for future scholarly "productivity." Which is generally measured in terms of academic publications. It's expected that the department will report on both strengths and weaknesses; seems to me like they were pretty honest about the directions RM's intellectual work was heading, and that standard academic philosophy was less of a goal than it might be, which would be a legitimate worry from the point of view of the institution.

RM has tenure; yes, that means a job for life, or at least until really serious professional misconduct, or the institution eliminates your entire department, or itself closes down. My (rapid and superficial) read of the tweets was that they were a humble brag: look at how my benighted department tried put me down, in this document that I am totally inappropriately posting here, but NOW I'm going to be a star! And I'm even better at philosophizing than I used to be! That'll show them!

Post-tenure evaluation has become a thing, but not much of one, because tenure does mean, well, a job for life. (My department characterized my last set of documents as "a cry for help." O rilly? This year's sabbatical in the UK has done me a world of good, actually...)

StroppyWoman · 05/07/2019 17:07

Thanks for explaining, Squirrel

SpartacusAutisticusAHF · 05/07/2019 21:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OhtheHillsareAlive · 05/07/2019 22:06

My goodness, there's a lot of privilege (I want to say "masculine") in those screenshots (like the rest of you, I'm blocked).

In US universities, tenure is fucking difficult to get. Most women have to over-achieve in order to get tenure - believe me, I sit & listen to them telling me what they have to do - books, articles, grant funding - mostly at the age & stage of their lives when they want to establish relationships, have a family (of course McKinnon doesn't have the bother of bearing & raising children, or even wondering whether they can/want to).

A friend of mine is in a very different professional academic role because she didn't get tenure, despite being an amazing scholar. It happens.

So for McKinnon to bitch about not getting tenure, when they clearly haven't published enough or in peer-reviewed journals, is a bit rich. Most of us do "public scholarship" (public engagement) on top of publishing scholarly academic research.

OhtheHillsareAlive · 05/07/2019 22:10

(because McKinnon cares about everyone) about ensuring fairness for transwomen and intersex women in women's sports

But not natal women, it seems ... Not the actual majority of women in women's sport.

Pota2 · 05/07/2019 22:11

RM has got tenure though and from their CV, they have published extensively and in high quality journals. If in the UK, that publication record would be impressive, although perhaps not so much on the funding side. However, RM is a narcissistic pain in the backside who is all about me me me so if I worked in their department, I would have lost the will to live by now. I think these tweets are just whining that the tenure committee didn’t all unanimously drop down and kiss RM’s butt.

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 06/07/2019 07:30

Sparticus So I did!

They all look the same to me, these narcissists. Can't tell them apart at all.

Doh.

MrsJamin · 06/07/2019 07:54

I looked at Rachel McKinnon's research gate profile (this is a kind of academics social media platform but based around citations, publication's, etc. It gives a score based on how influential or interesting that person's work is). It's really poor. Its not really any better than mine, and I'm just named on a few (albeit well cited) articles from 2003-2007. Perhaps this is what they are getting at? Unless philosophers don't tend to cite each other that much so don't get a decent score? Do any other academics have an idea?

Pota2 · 06/07/2019 08:10

Humanities are entirely different to social sciences. You can’t measure by citations and outputs will be far lower than in science. I loathe RM but if I had a publication record like that in my discipline, I would be happy.

OhtheHillsareAlive · 06/07/2019 08:49

RM has got tenure though and from their CV, they have published extensively and in high quality journals.

Thanks for the correction Pota - I was reading fast & carelessly.

But I'd say my point still stands: in the UK we are expected to do 'public scholarship' on top of our usual publishing as scholars for scholars. And I'd be wary about having McKinnon as a colleague (well, they'd be constantly "triggered" by my presence as a feminist) - the public inability to pursue a properly evidence and rational argument, for a start, and then the inability to deal with disagreement. Sort of basic stuff for a philosopher ... (I'm not a philosopher, but in a cognate humanities discipline)

LangCleg · 06/07/2019 08:53

Surely Rachel was simply announcing that Rachel will shortly have a book to sell, so won't be bothering with all that boring journal publishing for the forseeable?

Pota2 · 06/07/2019 10:21

Yes, I would rather swallow razor blades than have RM as a colleague. I think they have staff who open Rachel’s mail in case there is anything triggering in there. I think once RM was tweeting about how incompetent the campus staff were because they let RM open a letter that was from a feminist who disagreed with RM’s viewpoint. Meanwhile, I am lucky if my postroom even notifies me that I have a parcel waiting....

MrsJamin · 06/07/2019 11:21

I don't understand how someone can be an academic, especially in philosophy and be so awful at managing disagreement. Its just utterly baffling.

MrsJamin · 06/07/2019 11:22

@Pota2 that makes more sense about RM's score then. I thought that might be the case.

nonsenceagain · 06/07/2019 13:13

Interesting that Rachel Mc’s event is being publicly advertised, venue and all. Doubt the organisers will need to budget for security or watch out for masked protestors.

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