Incidents in the Life of Kirsten T. Edwards: A Personal Examination of the Academic In-between Space

Authors

  • Kirsten T. Edwards

Abstract

This paper investigates what happens when individuals do not fit into the ideological boxes established in a (post)colonial system, when they occupy a space of Academic "in-betweeness." The author asks, "How do these 'colonial contradictions' navigate this formerly colonized space we call the Academy?" Through conversations with three "Academic In-betweeners" as well as excerpts from the author's personal journal entries, this paper attempts to explore the following questions, "What do we do when our race or gender or personal values and beliefs do not coincide with the original design, with the underlining/historic values of the institution (Anderson, 1988; Solomon, 1985; Thelin, 2004)?" and "What do our navigational practices and understandings tell us about U.S. Higher Education?"

Author Biography

Kirsten T. Edwards

Kirsten T. Edwards is a Ph.D student in Higher Education and Curriculum Theory with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies at Louisiana State University. She holds a B.S. in Marketing from LSU and an M.P.A from Southern University. Her scholarship focuses on interesectionality/“in-betweeness” informed by post-colonial theory, narrative inquiry, and womanist/feminist theories.

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Published

2010-04-19

Issue

Section

Distinguished Graduate Student Paper