Vulnerable academic performances. Dialogue on matters of voice and silence in academia

Abstract

In this dialogue, authors collectively reflect upon their experiences of being feminist philosophers. They diffract their personal and embodied experiences, philosophical reflections, and critiques of institutions in order to consider how and where a “vulnerable academic performance” is possible. In particular, the authors address matters of voice and silence within academia by asking the following questions: How are voices distributed and materialized in academia? Whose voice is heard and listened to vis-à-vis exisiting philosophical canons, classifications, and regimes of citationality? Bringing to the fore both personal and affective registers, the authors address the standards of legitimacy, hierarchies of voices and precarious labor conditions in academia as factors that render voices un/heard. With this in mind, they suggest a move towards vulnerability as a potent source of collective empowerment that is capable of disturbing academic power structures and canons.