January 10, 2003

Groucho Marx and 'Coercive Voluntarism' in Academe

By MARJORIE GARBER

Today virtually everyone, inside and outside of academic life, seems to feel pressured and overworked. Within the university, people who thought they had elected the life of the mind, the library, and the classroom find that they have chosen, unwittingly and unwillingly, the life of the committee and the letter of recommendation.

"Citizenship," when it is mobilized as a term to describe the work of junior and senior faculty members, means something like unthanked, though not thankless,

Print Subscription

Digital Subscription

Already have an account? Log In Now.