Of Art and Ideas

Or, Why Artists and Intellectuals are Made for Each Other.

It's conference season, which means this grad student needs to start preparing. Preparing to write, preparing to share ideas, preparing to be bombarded with fantastic new inspiration. Problem is, I cannot find the inspiration to write, I feel as though I have no ideas to share, and I need inspiration now, before I can even think of sharing new ideas.

It is in this context that I turn to blogging as an exercise in idea sharing and writer's block de-blocking. These days, the only thing inspiring me is a blossoming relationship with a certain artist, so that is what I will write about. The topic of this entry came to me while having a conversation with this person. It seems like artists and intellectuals go hand in hand throughout history, like art and the ideas behind them come from two different types of people with a common soul...

I find that teaching a course and attempting to write an article to be featured in a scholarly journal has provoked more angst and identity questionning than I had bargained for. This angst has been accentuated by recent developments in matters of the heart - first with a fellow intellectual and now with an artist. I won't spend much time on the first case, but let's just say that it has become clear that trying to keep up with a fellow attention-seeker is hard work and probably doomed to begin with.

This being said, I am re-discovering the joy that is getting to know a person with artistic tendencies. A long time ago, a lover told me I was a poet, regardless of my poem writing abilities. Like it was an innate characteristic, a personnality type, or something. This always stuck with me, mostly for its romantic appeal. But another part of it stuck as well: the part where I feel like I need to create something, with words. It is what I strive to do as an intellectual, help ideas come to life through writing, as opposed to expressing emotions or whatever poetry is supposed to do.

My point is that sometimes, being an intellectual is like being an artist; both need a spark of inspiration to activate their creativity. And both serve society-advancing functions like thought provocation. Also I think the artist, in a relationship setting, being more in tune with emotion, is like a safe haven where it is ok to "be emotional," something I have come to perceive as negative, "irrational" in academic contexts.

So what, then, can the intellectual offer the artist? A bit of structure, perhaps? A hint of reason to guide passions? Or simply an understanding ear, one that seeks to help grow, and not to judge?

To be continued...

I love my job.

I can't help but feel that I must post something after the amazing conferences I saw this week. Wednesday thru friday, I went to Gatineau for the Canadian Industrial Relations Association (CIRA) 's annual meeting. As expected the themes of workplace representation, globalized economies and different HR practices were discussed. I enjoyed most of what I heard, although I can't say many presentations fascinated or empassionated me. Except one.

Alan Levy of the University of Regina presented on Pay equity in Canada versus Ontario. The new policy in Canada (newly modified by the glorious tories) is apauling, it has taken away a fundamental right on the grounds that it can be negociated back through collective bargaining. In other words, women can fight for pay equity but only by adding it to the multitude of things being negociated by their male representatives during bargaining. Smells fishy to me. My further reflections on the matter, which also smells like thesis topic, have brought me to ponder such questions as: Is pay equity necessarily impossible in the lean state? If the government isn't an employer of choice, than how can we expect businesses to be? and so on.

On a bit of a different topic, I attended a session on the role of unions in academia. One of the themes there was academic freedom and how tenure helps protect it. Another theme was funding, and the seemlingly increased importance parents and students are giving to the proportion of tenure-track professors as an indicator of teaching quality. Among the speakers was Jim Turk, who wrote this interesting article: http://www.globecampus.ca/in-the-news/article/get-the-state-out-of-the-labs-of-the-nation/

Being near Ottawa this week has probably changed my life in many ways. Among other things inspired me to raise hell in Ottawa, starting with probing into its dealings with our public servants, especially our underpaid female ones...

If there's one thing that fascinates me more than academia (or at least as much), it's Love. Yes, I am in love with love. Anyone who knows my cynical tendencies might find this hard to believe, but I am one of those people who are deeply touched by movies like Lost in Translation or Ghostworld. I am in constant search for that special, deep connection with another human being, complete with imperfections and irrational complexities. As an ex-psych student, I know what love is, the stages and what they are in the brain... but I don't care. It's spring! And like most other springs, I've found someone with whom there seems to be a connection, and I'm excited to see what's in store for us!

Spring is such a wacky season. I know of two couples who are going through nasty, rough, heartwenching breakups, and two others who are just starting up. I feel for the ending relationships: they are hard! I have a list of breakup songs (or end-of-relationship songs) that I listen to every once in a while when I feel as though I am emotionless... they get me every time. Certain songs make me think of certain people, and it gets rough, especially in the winter.

But now spring is here! And the new couples are so cute and sweet it makes me wanna puke, while I myself am quite possibly going to be in the same situation soon :p It's a good thing I'm not supersticious, because I could think I had just jinxed it! Ah, rationality, even in this state it does not let me wander too far from it...


Alas, I want to write more, to reflect more, but there's a pile of undergrad economics exams (macro, thank god!) sitting upon my desk, waiting to be corrected. But I'll still be listening to The Cure because it, oddly enough, tends to mirror the state I'm in: a melancholy person who, when in a state of liking (love is a bit of a strong word!), forgets anything that there was to be melancholy about in the first place :)

Back soon with actual academic stuff ;)

C-A

Inspiration

As a socially conscious (which does NOT mean Marxist-Lenninist) grad student living in an ever-"rightening" world, I often get discouraged at the rampant individualism and denial that surround me. Yet I was touched this week when a group of students from a specific research lab agreed to accompany me to dinner after a departmental conference. Essentially, our Student Association (of which I am president) had tried to plan an after-conference cocktail, but, due to midterm overload and poor planning, I was pretty much the only participant. Since I didn't know if others were waiting for us there or not, I had to go, but feared that I would be there alone. Out of student solidarity, and because 2 of the 3 had been association members in the past and understood my dismay, they decided to join me. I was so touched! My day had started off rockily but I went home with a smile.


Thursday was really the high point of the week. I attended the Undergrad Conference and the speakers were very well chosen. The topic: Gen Y. Yup, that's me. Restless, prone to rebellion, and ever-educated. Instead of bitching about us like some Boomers tend to do (and, let's face it, we like to bitch about them too around here), Carol Allain (reputed author) told us we were going to change the world. I know it was more of a motivational speach than anything, but it showed me that some people believe in us, and that if we work hard, we can be very successful.

The other highlight of the conference: Two professors from my department (one of which is my advisor) presented a project they are involved in: http://www.economieautrement.org . Essentially, it is an attempt to show how having public, open debates about different economic perspectives can help us come up with more and better solutions in terms of public policy. I know my advisor is awesome, but somewhere during his speech, I knew he had to be my PhD advisor (provided I get through my master's first...). He and his collegue are both economists educated in France, which may help explain their openness to paradigms other than the neo-classical model. We are not communists. We are not idealists. We just want to participate in the discussion. That's what I get from it anyway. And when I become a professor, I want to be like them. They have a funky sense of humour and they just want to provoke, get you to think...

The awesome conference was followed a generous cocktail (open bar + red wine = jackpot). What more could you ask for on a thursday ? :)


Next up: The 3 hour interview we had with the next department head. In June the current department head's mandate comes to an end, and only one candidate has been nominated to be his successor. Obviously the contents of the interview are confidential, but I must say I was inspired by the meeting. I learned a lot about how a department works, what a professor's job consists in, and why I really really made the right choice in deciding to continue my grad students in hopes of becoming a Professor. The man is renowned for being a man of discussion and consensus. He is discrete but gets things done. He is awesome. I can't wait to see how it goes. I also have another scoop but I don't think I can talk about it, which is eating me up inside!! (It's good news though, I think!)

And finally, University governance. After the UQAM fiasco, the education minister is working on a law changing how universities are governed. Essentially, if the law gets adopted, the board of directors would be constituted mostly of external, independent members (read: business leaders) which means the people who work at the university will not be the ones running it. Those who know how a university works will not be the ones running it. I don't know if my point is clear... basically business leaders will decide the fate of universities even though they know almost nothing about what running a university is or means. So much for "teaching, research and service to the community"... it's time for a new mission of "training workers, financing research that serves the business community's interests and service to the rich." I KNOW I am exaggerating. I know business is not the devil. I know we need business to prosper. I just don't think Academia is a business. Knowledge is biased enough without the Government handing over the Universities to the business community.

Obviously this all fits with the direction the conservatives want the SSHRC to take with their new focus on "business-related degrees" http://nikiashton.ndp.ca/sshrc
I know what some people may be thinking. With "the economy" in such a mess, we need to encourage businesses. But we also have to encourage consumption (see Keynes or macroeconomics).

I leave you with this food for thought: In the occidental world, most businesses perish after less than 10 years. Most humans live to be over 70. You and I will probably live to be over 90. Our kids, even longer. So, in the long run, what's most important: the 7-year company, or your kids' 90-year lifespan?

http://www.economieautrement.org

*Ugh*

I was almost done writing a post when I deleted everything. I have to leave, I'm getting sushi with a friend. I will write tomorrow, on things including:

- Student solidarity: How the smallest actions can make someone's (i.e. my) day;

- The undergrad conference and the greatness that are Carol Alain, Kamel Béji and Frédéric Hanin;

- The 3 hour long interview for the new Department Head;
- The University Governance law;
- For another take on economics: http://www.economieautrement.org
- Other random academic stressors...

Tootles!
C-A

Update (oooOOooo, how original!)

*Whew!*

Can you tell I am not an avid blogger? Well, it's about time I get with the program, and here's why:

I have spent the better part of my day exploring Twitter, roaming from follow-ee to follow-ee and seeing lots of buzz around this whole concept of online social networking beyond the blog... I especially like Twitter CEO Evan Williams's entry: http://evhead.com/ .

But here's where it gets creepy. Since January, I've narrowed down my research interests and am reading a lot of stuff on social networks and social capital (i.e. ressources embedded in those social networks, which we invest in expecting returns in the marketplace). This concept is particularly interesting in today's economy, where so many of us know so much, that it is no longer so much about what you know, but rather, it's about who you know. (Although, to be fair... hasn't it always been like that?)

That said, how could a social networking site like Twitter possibly be helpful to me, an aspiring researcher and professor? Remember what I was saying about social capital being a ressource? Well, it's a bit more complicated than that. You see, when we interract with people, it isn't always to gain ressources. It can also be about maintaining status or having some sort of "social support." The first type of action is called instrumental action, and the second, expressive action. So although I don't expect to get any job opportunities through these activities, I do get to express myself to a generalized, imagined other. It's rather that, or annoy my friends to death with my anxious rants. This way at least you can skip the paragraph when you have had enough :P

As a sidenote, I'm watching CNN in the background and I'm not sure whether I am more disturbed or amused... All I know for sure is that I am really, really happy not to have the likes Romney and Limbaugh hanging out in the sidelines spreading lies... Oh, and did you know Lost in Translation is one of Stephen Harper's favourite movies? ( http://www.conservative.ca/?section_id=1002&section_copy_id=102936&language_id=0 ) ...I guess he likes all the pretty lights ;)

Greetings

Greetings!

After years of him-ing and haw-ing, I have finally decided to write a blog. My intent is to question and comment on various current events. Being an industrial relations student has fueled my interests in politics, economics and sociology, just to name a few. Since philosophy is my true love, my cogitations tend to show my leanings towards Aristotelian and Humean values... But I digress.

My goal is to spark honest, intelligent, conversation with both similar and different-minded people, on topics that I find interesting, disturbing or amusing. I've named the blog "Adventures in Academia" for the simple reason that believe my life as an academic is what has opened my eyes to these issues, but also because I plan on sharing insights from my adventures in this strange world.... Also, I find that my writing skills have gone downhill since I graduated college, and I'm hoping this endeavor will help me get my writing groove back.

A few days ago, Bombardier announced its plans to develop and build the CSeries plane. Canada and Quebec have agreed to basically lend the company almost 500 million dollars. The UK and China are also pitching in, since the company is planning on having various parts of the planes built in those countries. Right away, journalists mentioned that other countries or companies would most probably file a complaint at the WTO for unjust trade practices.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080713.wbombardier0713/BNStory/Business/

I think this is great news for many reasons.

First, with the manufacturing sector going downhill in Canada, innovation is the next step in western economies. This is a step in that direction for Quebec and Canada.

Second, the fact that the government is getting involved is a great step in the battle against neo-liberalism and the so-called "free-market." In exchange for the governments' investments, jobs and wealth will be created. There are also talks of the governments helping in the training of labour, since the aerospace industry needs skilled workers, who are currently hard to find.

Finally, if these new planes meet expectations, they will be better for the environment, as well as cheaper to run, than their current equivalents. Of course this isn't a panacea for the world's dependence on oil...