Comments on: Academic workplace bullying: run away, indeed! http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/ History and sexual politics, 1492 to the present Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:07:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-35026 Historiann Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:43:15 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-35026 Hey, Ignatz--thanks for stopping by to comment. (You might be interested in the comment by Rose on this related post: http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/25/dont-sue-run-for-your-lives-part-ii/#comments Your former department's review practices are totally screwed up. I've heard of other departments that let even untenured people vote on tenure cases--but yours is the only one that allows people to gratuitously insult you anonymously as they fire you. It's like a crazed evil fraternity or sorority house over there. Hey, Ignatz–thanks for stopping by to comment. (You might be interested in the comment by Rose on this related post:

http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/25/dont-sue-run-for-your-lives-part-ii/#comments

Your former department’s review practices are totally screwed up. I’ve heard of other departments that let even untenured people vote on tenure cases–but yours is the only one that allows people to gratuitously insult you anonymously as they fire you. It’s like a crazed evil fraternity or sorority house over there.

]]> By: Ignatz http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-34915 Ignatz Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:37:42 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-34915 Hi historiann and friend SF, I mentioned the book idea to a grad school friend who teaches in a relatively well-functioning (!!) English department. She suggested the book include ethnographies of departments that don't tolerate bullying. What are the commonalities between them? Can a strong dept chair stop abuse hirself, or does ze need upper administrative support? As historiann knows,I was bullied out of a t-track job at an institution where the dysfunction saturates every aspect of the place like a noxious smell (a rather apt analogy, actually). Even if the chair had had the moxie to stand up to department meanies, ze would have received no help from anyone "above" hir, even at the state higher ed commission level. I did call the AAUP. Given the particulars of my situation, the AAUP higher-up I spoke with (since retired) said there wasn't anything I could do. First of all, I wasn't a stellar employee in some ways--but salvageable, I think. Second,at my school, all department faculty (tenured and non) voted yearly whether to re-appoint non-tenured faculty. No standards applied. Some of my "colleagues" insulted me on their ballot; others obviously hadn't read my file. All comments were anonymous, of course. So in my "terminal year," I'd politely greet faculty members wondering if they'd been the one who wrote "Can't even speak proper English" or "Nothing but trouble" or (read the file, dummy!)"poor publication record." Hi historiann and friend SF,
I mentioned the book idea to a grad school friend who teaches in a relatively well-functioning (!!) English department. She suggested the book include ethnographies of departments that don’t tolerate bullying. What are the commonalities between them? Can a strong dept chair stop abuse hirself, or does ze need upper administrative support?
As historiann knows,I was bullied out of a t-track job at an institution where the dysfunction saturates every aspect of the place like a noxious smell (a rather apt analogy, actually). Even if the chair had had the moxie to stand up to department meanies, ze would have received no help from anyone “above” hir, even at the state higher ed commission level.
I did call the AAUP. Given the particulars of my situation, the AAUP higher-up I spoke with (since retired) said there wasn’t anything I could do. First of all, I wasn’t a stellar employee in some ways–but salvageable, I think. Second,at my school, all department faculty (tenured and non) voted yearly whether to re-appoint non-tenured faculty. No standards applied. Some of my “colleagues” insulted me on their ballot; others obviously hadn’t read my file. All comments were anonymous, of course. So in my “terminal year,” I’d politely greet faculty members wondering if they’d been the one who wrote “Can’t even speak proper English” or “Nothing but trouble” or (read the file, dummy!)”poor publication record.”

]]> By: SF http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-31991 SF Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:54:28 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-31991 I will take you up on that, Historiann! Give me a little time to gather my thoughts (got a lot going on......) I will take you up on that, Historiann! Give me a little time to gather my thoughts (got a lot going on……)

]]> By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-31726 Historiann Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:41:59 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-31726 Hi Professor bw--thanks for the info. Over at the chronicle discussion of this issue, there are people there conspiring to name the dysfunctional departments (but there are questions about the anonymity of the people reporting on the bad departments. Given the abuses and misinformation perpetuated on the job search wikis--which were initially a great idea to help level the playing field--I think there are legitimate concerns about creating a website for reporting on bullying.) Hi Professor bw–thanks for the info. Over at the chronicle discussion of this issue, there are people there conspiring to name the dysfunctional departments (but there are questions about the anonymity of the people reporting on the bad departments. Given the abuses and misinformation perpetuated on the job search wikis–which were initially a great idea to help level the playing field–I think there are legitimate concerns about creating a website for reporting on bullying.)

]]> By: prof bw http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-31725 prof bw Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:36:46 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-31725 forgive me. that should read "A former colleague also initially planned to do her research on it then switched to studying social service agencies after finding out how hard it was to get people to willingly talk about or publish articles on it once they knew it was going to go to print." forgive me. that should read “A former colleague also initially planned to do her research on it then switched to studying social service agencies after finding out how hard it was to get people to willingly talk about or publish articles on it once they knew it was going to go to print.”

]]> By: prof bw http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-31724 prof bw Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:30:29 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-31724 TR - I have noticed the desire to "rearrange the furniture" rather than dismantle the master's house and I too am deeply concerned by it. It is hard to weather conversations with people who think it is simply a matter of changing the guard and worse to try and discuss that with people invested in the individualism model you mention. When you say something horrible happened and the response is "I suspect you did something wrong b/c no one benefits from behaving that way" it teaches you to be silent. SF/Z/historiann - there is research being done on workplace bullying with regards to race and gender in anthro. At least two calls were out last year and I think there was a panel planned for this past AAA (but I didn't make it, so I don't know for sure). A former colleague also initial planned to do her research on it then switched to social service agencies after finding out how hard it was to get people to willing talk about or publish articles on it once they knew it was going to go to print. TR - I have noticed the desire to “rearrange the furniture” rather than dismantle the master’s house and I too am deeply concerned by it. It is hard to weather conversations with people who think it is simply a matter of changing the guard and worse to try and discuss that with people invested in the individualism model you mention. When you say something horrible happened and the response is “I suspect you did something wrong b/c no one benefits from behaving that way” it teaches you to be silent.

SF/Z/historiann - there is research being done on workplace bullying with regards to race and gender in anthro. At least two calls were out last year and I think there was a panel planned for this past AAA (but I didn’t make it, so I don’t know for sure). A former colleague also initial planned to do her research on it then switched to social service agencies after finding out how hard it was to get people to willing talk about or publish articles on it once they knew it was going to go to print.

]]> By: Historiann http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-31686 Historiann Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:33:24 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-31686 SF--thanks for checking back in. Yes, the Feminist Waves, Feminist Generations book had one essay by Jennifer Pierce specifically about a bullying sociology department, although I don't think she used the noun "bullying." I recommended Bosquet's book as well as many of the other essays in FWFG because they address the corporitization of the University over the past 2 decades, because of the ways in which that too has contributed mightily to making universities comfortable places for bullying to flourish. I think your idea is a great one, especially because of your expertise in autotheoretical writing. (Witness the tremendous interest this post has inspired here, as well as over at the Chronicle--last I looked there were more than 50 comments, most of them from people who want to share their stories.) Story telling--describing and illustrating the problem with specific examples--seems like what has to happen first, in order for us to make bulling an issue that people watch out for and try to counteract in the workplace. Perhaps you'd like to do a guest post on trauma, with a bibliography? Let me know. SF–thanks for checking back in. Yes, the Feminist Waves, Feminist Generations book had one essay by Jennifer Pierce specifically about a bullying sociology department, although I don’t think she used the noun “bullying.” I recommended Bosquet’s book as well as many of the other essays in FWFG because they address the corporitization of the University over the past 2 decades, because of the ways in which that too has contributed mightily to making universities comfortable places for bullying to flourish.

I think your idea is a great one, especially because of your expertise in autotheoretical writing. (Witness the tremendous interest this post has inspired here, as well as over at the Chronicle–last I looked there were more than 50 comments, most of them from people who want to share their stories.) Story telling–describing and illustrating the problem with specific examples–seems like what has to happen first, in order for us to make bulling an issue that people watch out for and try to counteract in the workplace.

Perhaps you’d like to do a guest post on trauma, with a bibliography? Let me know.

]]> By: SF http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-31584 SF Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:46:14 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-31584 Well, I did a quick search and did not find anything specifically dealing with bullying in academia, so there's a niche (and, Historiann, when I did a google search, guess whose site popped up first?). I looked at Bosquet's site (who lives close to me!), which is great, and his work is very important, but he does not address bullying per se. What I do not envision is a book consisting of mere of testimony with editorial remarks sprinkled in. (Historiann, did I read an article out of the Feminist Waves book? A woman in anthropology? While cathartic to read at the time, that's the kind of narrative I would not be interested in.) I would like to see reflective, critically intellectual essays with personal situations as evidence. I'm not really sure what this would look like, and perhaps I spoke ahead of myself. But I will toss out this suggestion: the academic career and traumatic experience. We have not yet addressed this head-on in our discussions. I have read a lot about trauma, much of my art is about trauma, and I have many resources I could share. For those of you who have shared stories on this site, I would recommend looking into this; you will find yourselves. Let me know what you think of my angle and let me know if you want a book list. SF Well, I did a quick search and did not find anything specifically dealing with bullying in academia, so there’s a niche (and, Historiann, when I did a google search, guess whose site popped up first?). I looked at Bosquet’s site (who lives close to me!), which is great, and his work is very important, but he does not address bullying per se. What I do not envision is a book consisting of mere of testimony with editorial remarks sprinkled in. (Historiann, did I read an article out of the Feminist Waves book? A woman in anthropology? While cathartic to read at the time, that’s the kind of narrative I would not be interested in.) I would like to see reflective, critically intellectual essays with personal situations as evidence. I’m not really sure what this would look like, and perhaps I spoke ahead of myself. But I will toss out this suggestion: the academic career and traumatic experience. We have not yet addressed this head-on in our discussions. I have read a lot about trauma, much of my art is about trauma, and I have many resources I could share. For those of you who have shared stories on this site, I would recommend looking into this; you will find yourselves. Let me know what you think of my angle and let me know if you want a book list. SF

]]> By: Z http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-31507 Z Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:59:50 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-31507 P.S. Another common line is that when Persons X and Y retire or leave, all will improve. What one then discovers is that other people step into roles X and Y, and/or that Persons X and Y were not the sole or even necessarily the main causes of the problems. P.S. Another common line is that when Persons X and Y retire or leave, all will improve. What one then discovers is that other people step into roles X and Y, and/or that Persons X and Y were not the sole or even necessarily the main causes of the problems.

]]> By: Z http://www.historiann.com/2008/06/27/academic-workplace-bullying-run-away-indeed/#comment-31506 Z Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:58:26 +0000 http://www.historiann.com/?p=411#comment-31506 Yes - I know - I've fallen for the same line myself!!! Yes - I know - I’ve fallen for the same line myself!!!

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