-
CHAPTER 13 Second-Rate or Second-Rank: The Human Pyramid of Academe
- NYU Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
C H A P T E R 1 3 Second-Rate or Second-Rank The Human Pyramid of Academe S H E N G - M E I M A The academe , i n th e Unite d State s an d elsewhere , i s a huma n pyrami d bound together b y capitalist hypocrisy. A limited number o f elite institutions perch o n the precipitous ti p of this pyramid lik e captains o f industry , dominatin g th e preponderanc e o f resources , whil e th e bul k of , i n James Sosnoski' s term , "Toke n Professionals " labo r an d swea t a t th e swampy botto m o f thi s triangl e t o hol d u p th e weigh t o f th e structure , subconsciously resigne d t o the fat e o f slave s carrying o n their shoulder s what Sosnosk i call s th e "Maste r Critics. " A preferenc e fo r thi s statu s quo is understandable amongs t the ruling class if they were all apolitica l academicians wit h a veste d interes t i n remainin g blind . Bu t quit e vex ingly , a large number o f leadin g intellectual s toda y ar e fro m th e lef t (o f Marxist, feminist , postcolonial , minority , queer , o r othe r radica l vin tage ), hence theoretically concerne d with the ideology and fact of exploitation . They, ironically , preach thei r gospe l o f justic e an d equalit y fro m a privilege d positio n i n academe modele d afte r non e othe r tha n capital ism —the concentratio n o f resources, the hierarchy base d on wealth an d power. Eve n thes e leftist s see m t o partak e comfortabl y i n wha t Loui s Althusser coins as the "Ideologica l Stat e Apparatuses" sinc e the reproductio n o f labo r powe r require s no t onl y a reproductio n of its skills, but also, at the same time, a reproduction o f its submission t o th e rule s o f th e establishe d order , i.e . a reproductio n o f submission t o th e ruling ideolog y fo r th e workers, and a reproduc tion of the ability to manipulate the ruling ideology correctly for th e agents of exploitation an d repression, so that they, too, will provid e 2 3 0 Second-Rate or Second-Rank 2 3 1 for th e domination o f the ruling class "i n words." (Althusser , 132 33 ) Regardless o f politica l persuasions , th e upper-clas s an d th e masse s o f "intellectual laborers " shar e a secret allianc e i n maintaining th e illusio n that this profession i s not what it really is—a huma n pyramid—and th e fact o f standin g o n people' s head s o r bein g stompe d int o th e mu d i s justified throug h th e abilit y o r th e lac k thereo f of , amon g othe r things , "manipulating] th e ruling ideology . . . 'i n words' "—i.e. , one' s facilit y with Theory . By Theory, I mean philosoph y i n disguise , whic h ha s bee n i n vogu e for quit e som e time , despit e a n increasin g backlash . Althoug h ever y piece o f critica l scholarshi p ha s theor y a t it s core , thi s kin d o f high Theory detache s itsel f fro m literar y text s o r an y cultura l artifacts . Pur e thought i n a vacuum , i t addresse s a selec t audience—othe r theorists , while averag e (les s gifted? ) professor s stan d i n aw e o f th e immens e incomprehensibility o f suc h intellection . I t eventuall y evolve s int o a game o f names , a s Terr y Caesa r note s i n "Theor y i n th e Boondocks" : "The same names, from th e same universities, continue to spea k to eac h other abou t th e sam e questions " (226) . Thi s gam e o f...