Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Playing chess by mail

I should note that I wasn't complaining in my previous post, or at least not really: after all, I'm on leave! And I'm well aware of how lucky I am to have a semester at full pay to focus on my research.

But it's humbling to realize how much of my daily sense of purpose, direction, and even identity comes from all the shit I was so eager to get away from--all that stuff that allegedly distracts us from our real work as scholars.

Thing is, scholarly time moves slowly. Even if you're reliably producing one or two finished articles or chapters every year--which is ridiculously productive--that's what? 60 pages? 80 pages? That doesn't feel fast. And it takes longer to get into print, and even longer to have anyone notice or respond.

Being part of a scholarly conversation is like playing chess by mail, one move at a time. With someone who lives behind the Iron Curtain. In a country with erratic mail delivery.

There are reasons that scholarly time moves slowly, and most of us wouldn't be in the business if we didn't enjoy and weren't constitutionally suited for long periods of solitary work and reflection. But few of us can spend 40 hours a week writing and researching alone in our studies, even if we had the means to do so. Most of us are energized by, and derive our daily sense of meaning from, our teaching and even our departmental and university service. Yes, a lot of what we do every week is bullshit. All office jobs involve bullshit and inefficiencies and idiotic co-workers. But teaching and service connect us to a network of people and events and ideas, and those are stimulating even when they're irritating.

Apparently I'd already forgotten the lesson I thought I learned in grad school: when it's just you and your work, there's nowhere to hide.

4 comments:

Veralinda said...

Flavia,

I'll be in touch soon to set up a date in which we will go to the coolest library in town and write companionably. This date will, as it should, also include one of the following important distractions: lunch, shopping, the botanical garden, the art museum, professional gossip, or a post-writing cocktail. For every four hours (or so) of work, we get one hour (or so) of all-important non-work. Sound good?

Flavia said...

V:

That sounds divine. No one with whom I'd rather explore the bars, shops, etc. of Our Fair City.

Anonymous said...

I've often wondered why historians don't do more collaborative projects like scholars do in the social or hard sciences. In those fields you see multiple authors for one study. But historians work solo. They might collaborate on an edited work, but then each person does a chapter. History is solitary.

Andrea said...

"Being part of a scholarly conversation is like playing chess by mail, one move at a time. With someone who lives behind the Iron Curtain. In a country with erratic mail delivery." LOVE IT! This is going to be the new quote on my email signature. Properly with proper citation to Flavia of course.