Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Pettiness in Academia

How many of you have experienced pettiness in the academic world? I have personally experienced quite a lot of it. In my university, where I teach, I have seen many things happen because of personal reasons, not because of any professional logic. Everything is dictated by personal jealousies and by hatred. There is all-pervasive hatred for colleagues because they are personally successful. I have heard senior colleagues tell me stuff like, 'you have been making lots of money in the stock markets'. I have never known European and American universities and I don't know about the levels of 'professional rivalry' there. But in the university where I teach, I have had the occasion to encounter it at personal levels.

I would like to learn what most of you think and feel about it. If you want, you can email me at roomynaqvy@gmail.com