Academia Upside Down

I can almost see the finish line, shimmering in the mirage of 2009.  I am in critical need of finishing school.  At least for a considerable amount of time.  It simply requires greater motivation to do my schoolwork now, after nearly 8 years of post-secondary education.  It might have been quicker to just be a doctor!  Oh well, as the egyptians say, "ma lish,  msh mshkela," its  fine, not a problem.  I find that working most nights in the 'hood does much to distract from my academic responsibilities.  Classes on refugee law and social policy simply pales in comparison to actually walking the streets and hearing the stories of those who have been displaced.  Working with Youth Violence Prevention Initiative brings about a great deal of satisfaction although it certainly reduces my interest in school work.


However I have done my best to produce quality assignments and to complete the 500 + pages of reading that are required every week.  In a recent situation, I had even managed to go far beyond the expectations of the assignment, and have actually found my efforts to have backfired.  I was required to only write a 5 page essay which overviews the previous 4 weeks of reading, synthesizing the material into a cohesive dialogue, accentuated by a critical reflection on the nature of the literature.  Having written this type of paper many times over the last few years, I sought to do something more sophisticated that would portray more than ownership of the material, by conforming that ownership into a narrow framework and projecting a specific argument.  Working from a body of literature concerned with the genealogy of the refugee studies as a discipline,  the standard definition of a refugee, alternative types of refugees, and the formation of the humanitarian regime, I extracted the concept of Humanitarian Space, and sought to articulate the existence and demeanor of this newly defined entity.

The basis is that within humanitarian operations, a physical space is defined for two purposes:
a. The logistical demands of supplying aid
b. The expression of human rights among a population that had lived under oppression elsewhere

But that a transformation occurs within the space by the simple fact the the entire nature of the space is predetermined at conception by the consequence of a globalized economy and historical conditions. Furthermore it is transformed by the demand for military support and security.  Ultimately these factors produce an awkward, self-conflicting space that may ultimately undermine the logistical and legal priorities of the humanitarian body.


I sought to investigate the physical and social repercussions of establishing a humanitarian space.  I asked, and posed answers for several questions such as "How does it affect the local economy, what role does it play within a globalized economy, how does it relate to the natural environment?"  The paper was about 12 pages long, with an array of scientific academic journals to support my claims.

A few days later I received an email from my professor, asking for a brief meeting about my paper.  I was quite anxious, thinking that she either loved it or... that she was concerned.  What I encountered was instead something of a surprise.

 I visited her office at 3:30.  After a little small talk, she casually mentions that she wants me to re-write the assignment! I could not believe it!  After all, I was working with something new, this was innovation, and one thing I learned in art school is that it is VERY rare to ever create a new idea.  Fortunately, the conversation did not end at that point.

Although I have to rewrite the assignment to provide a general discussion of the material, she is willing to accept my previously submitted paper as the semester Final Exam.  Furthermore, she is willing to provide assistance to submit this paper for publication or for proposal at the World Conference of Humanitarian Studies 2009 in the Netherlands.  Of course while it is quite likely that the paper will not be accepted given my 'rookie' status,  she felt the subject was unique and it will be at least strongly considered.

I suppose the situation could have been much worse. The funny thing is that I was so aggravated about having to rewrite the assignment, it was difficult to recognize the value of the newly available opportunities.  But now that they have become a little more clear, it is also certain that I have much more work ahead of me.  It will be necessary to do extensive research on the subject of humanitarian space, in particular its relationship to militarization, human rights, and refugee protection.  It will be necessary for me to seek out and review nearly ALL previous publications wherein the phrase might be featured so as to trace the historical construction of the concept, and to see how it the concept has changed over time alongside the evolution of humanitarianism - which has shifted extensively over last century from a focus on relief aid to development to prevention.  Clearly there is much to do, and not much time to do it as the conference deadline for paper abstracts is next week!  I gues its time to get to work!