Canadian academics and perhaps a handful of other people will have heard over the last month or so of a new program: the "Canada 150 Research Chairs". This is a version of the long established Canada Research Chair program, by which generously funded chairs in all manner of disciplines are allotted to universities across Canada … Continue reading Brains drained: Some thoughts on the Canada 150 Research Chairs
Month: July 2017
Empire: Yay or Nay
A disturbing feature of the ongoing public debate about the history of empire is the dullness with which the main question has been engaged, particularly by academic-cum-public intellectual apologists on the right. Was empire a good thing, or a bad thing? Survey says: good thing. Yay! I was right! Another recent debate, over whether or … Continue reading Empire: Yay or Nay
Quo Vadis? Cui bono? History, bullshit, and the corporate university
A public art competition sounds like a good thing, in the abstract. (Thanks, folks, I'll be here all week.) On the other hand, people like me tend to think that context counts for a lot. With those two points in mind, allow me to introduce "Legado", site of a new art competition that bridges the … Continue reading Quo Vadis? Cui bono? History, bullshit, and the corporate university
Theses on Academia, Academic Scholarship, and Their Critics
I'm no Luther, not even a Posner. But here are some thoughts prompted by several years in academe, and by exchanges on this blog and Twitter over the last year or so. Many criticisms of "academic" scholars from outside the academy reveal a poor grasp of the workings of (a) research and teaching; (b) academic … Continue reading Theses on Academia, Academic Scholarship, and Their Critics
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