What's Love Got to Do With It? Exploring Radical Love in the Academy

• In Event: Beyond Coursework and Research Projects: Mentorship of and by QTBIPOC Scholars Toward Collective Transformation

Abstract

This presentation explores the dynamics of radical love within the academy as the central fuel that drives a scholar’s work. “Newcomers” are often met with poor and toxic mentorship. Conversations of “productivity” trump collaboration and compassion toward scholarship. This comes at the expense of one’s mental health and self esteem, especially when this type of “academic success” is devoid of sustaining relationships, mentorship, and love. This presentation consists of a first year assistant professor in dialogue with a tenured scholar who practices love as the foundation of her work. The “oldtimer” has a trajectory of excellent mentorship, as she previously received a distinguished mentorship award from AERA.

The framing of this conversation rests on bell hooks’ visions of love (hooks, 2000). hooks writes that “Without love, our efforts to liberate ourselves and our world community from oppression and exploitation are doomed.” (hooks, 2006 p.317 ). hooks fleshes out the idea that fear often turns away from love. In addition to hooks, the presenters ground their conversation in what Freire (1970) calls “dialogics.” Freire writes, “Dialogue cannot exist, however, in the absence of a profound love for the world and for people. [...]Love is at the same time the foundation of dialogue and dialogue itself.”

The newcomer identifies as a cis heterosexual Black and Asian woman. The oldtimer identifies as a cis heterosexual Black woman. Both practice abolitionist research and teaching that uplift Black women and other vulnerable populations. The heart of this dialogue will interrogate radical love and its place in the academy and mentorship, especially given the intersectional identities of being Black and female. The newcomer will learn from the oldtimer, and the oldtimer will learn from the newcomer. Through this dialogue, they will also learn about themselves.

Mentors who discuss their journey with newcomers from a place of love humanize our work and sustain relationships. These relationships, founded on radical love, provide the newcomer with the energy to make space in the academy that decolonizes rather than perpetuates white settler colonialism in our universities (paperson, 2017). Further, taking up radical love fills the scholar with purpose and passion that is healthy for the scholar and mutually benefits those she works with through her scholarship. Lastly, radical love shows up as a source of healing that builds communities toward liberation for the greater collective.

Although this conversation has been historically marginalized in AERA, there is a new awakening for more reflexivity as leaders of AERA are calling for this dialogue to humanize the academy. This presentation draws on the intergenerational wisdoms of navigating the academy and life as a full human being. Love is centered, instead of the evaluative research terms of “rigor” and “evidence.” Research has a legacy of damaging vulnerable groups (i.e Tuskegee experiment, Havasupai genetic research). The academy, like the founding of this nation, is steeped in racism, heterosexism, patriarchy and neoliberal capitalism that devalue the human being. Following bell hooks, the presenters urge turning away from domination and instead lead with radical love.

Authors

• Hui-Ling S. Malone, Michigan State University

• Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Teachers College, Columbia University