‘Feeling passionate about your research is fundamental and yet,traditionally, academic work should be rational, and methodological,and dispassionate Last month, Nobel Prize winning scientist and academic, and Tim Hunt made a sexist comment about women in scientific laboratories. His remarks implied that women were distracting in the workplace and that they were too emotional for the academic life. While crying when you receive criticism may not be appropriate in a professional setting,Professor Hunt’s comments reflected a long held opinion that academic research should be objective and free from emotion, and that women are particularly unsuited to academia. I call this the paradox of academic passion. I am a theologian and I, or like many of my colleagues in the arts and humanities,and indeed in other disciplines, work predominantly on my own. My research lives and dies with me. Feeling passionate about your research is fundamental and yet, or traditionally,academic work should be rational, methodological, and dispassionate. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com