Bearing the Brunt of Structural Inequality: Ontological Labor in the Academy
Empirical data show that members of underrepresented and historically marginalized groups in academia undertake many forms of undervalued or unnoticed labor. While the data help to identify that this labor exists, they do not provide a thick description of what the experience is like, nor do they of...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Western Ontario
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Feminist Philosophy Quarterly |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/fpq/article/view/7316 |
| _version_ | 1798028117417132032 |
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| author | Ruthanne Crapo Ann J Cahill Melissa Jacquart |
| author_facet | Ruthanne Crapo Ann J Cahill Melissa Jacquart |
| author_sort | Ruthanne Crapo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Empirical data show that members of underrepresented and historically marginalized groups in academia undertake many forms of undervalued or unnoticed labor. While the data help to identify that this labor exists, they do not provide a thick description of what the experience is like, nor do they offer a framework for understanding the different kinds of invisible labor that are being undertaken. We identify and analyze a distinct, undervalued, and invisible labor that the data have left unnamed and unmeasured: ontological labor, the work required to manage one’s identity and body if either or both do not fit into academic structures, norms, and demands. We argue that ontological labor efforts should be understood as a form of labor. We then provide a characterization of ontological labor, detailing the labor as navigating one’s obligations to give and managing entitlements to take. We also highlight the ontological labor that takes place through instances of resistance, such as through complaint or refusals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:03:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2048ac323c0b4331a981a45f0387d93e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2371-2570 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:03:45Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | University of Western Ontario |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Feminist Philosophy Quarterly |
| spelling | doaj.art-2048ac323c0b4331a981a45f0387d93e2022-12-22T04:07:53ZengUniversity of Western OntarioFeminist Philosophy Quarterly2371-25702020-03-016110.5206/fpq/2020.1.7316Bearing the Brunt of Structural Inequality: Ontological Labor in the AcademyRuthanne Crapo0Ann J Cahill1Melissa Jacquart2Minneapolis Technical and Community CollegeElon UniversityUniversity of CincinnatiEmpirical data show that members of underrepresented and historically marginalized groups in academia undertake many forms of undervalued or unnoticed labor. While the data help to identify that this labor exists, they do not provide a thick description of what the experience is like, nor do they offer a framework for understanding the different kinds of invisible labor that are being undertaken. We identify and analyze a distinct, undervalued, and invisible labor that the data have left unnamed and unmeasured: ontological labor, the work required to manage one’s identity and body if either or both do not fit into academic structures, norms, and demands. We argue that ontological labor efforts should be understood as a form of labor. We then provide a characterization of ontological labor, detailing the labor as navigating one’s obligations to give and managing entitlements to take. We also highlight the ontological labor that takes place through instances of resistance, such as through complaint or refusals.https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/fpq/article/view/7316laborontological laborinvisible laboracademic inequalityentitlement to takeobligation to give |
| spellingShingle | Ruthanne Crapo Ann J Cahill Melissa Jacquart Bearing the Brunt of Structural Inequality: Ontological Labor in the Academy Feminist Philosophy Quarterly labor ontological labor invisible labor academic inequality entitlement to take obligation to give |
| title | Bearing the Brunt of Structural Inequality: Ontological Labor in the Academy |
| title_full | Bearing the Brunt of Structural Inequality: Ontological Labor in the Academy |
| title_fullStr | Bearing the Brunt of Structural Inequality: Ontological Labor in the Academy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bearing the Brunt of Structural Inequality: Ontological Labor in the Academy |
| title_short | Bearing the Brunt of Structural Inequality: Ontological Labor in the Academy |
| title_sort | bearing the brunt of structural inequality ontological labor in the academy |
| topic | labor ontological labor invisible labor academic inequality entitlement to take obligation to give |
| url | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/fpq/article/view/7316 |
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