It's their field, & future & they're staking their claim. The thing is, a lot of our younger scholars in grad school or ECR really understand what ethical scholarship means. They don't have to be convinced bc they aren't the "fragile woke brigade" ppl make them out to be. 2/
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They are empathetic, articulate, critical thinkers who understand that terminology changes & updating our scholarship is what we do. Most resistance is from older gens but I'd be kidding myself if I didn't admit there are a handful of younger mostly wyte, 3/
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very often British folks adverse to changes like this. That's on them, but it is still important to note (bc I have realized a pattern in the past few yrs) that antifascism or some commitment to "leftism" doesn't mean you are antiracist. I have said repeatedly that 4/
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antiracism takes work & to be antiracist means you are antifascist, but to be antifascist can work independently and removed from being antiracist. I think it's important for British ppl in particular to hear this & let it sink in. You literally have to do nothing to be 5/
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antifascist, no matter how many marches you want to claim you've been to. As long as you are against fascism, you are antifascist, but to be antiracist means you have to be actively working on your thinking, you & how you respond to racism. It takes work & that's why 6/
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some of you opt out. I don't even know how you call yourselves "leftists" with a straight face. Anyway, every now & then some crybaby will say that "ppl are seeing through this" movement but the truth is the field's survival depends on listening to the next gen & 7/pic.twitter.com/0kXLRKVzak
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our marginalized scholars who have lots to add to this field & academia. They should be allowed to be active participants & have a voice in a field that is their future. As I've said, interrogating language & updating scholarship is what we *should* do, & maybe accepting that 8/
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some of our terms are tied to a history of wyte supremacy means we need to dismantle those while also dismantling &changing the way our fields function. Academia fucking sucks & will use you & spit you out (yes, sometimes even if you're a cishet wyte dude), so if you don't see 9/
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how some of us are trying to make it better for everyone, don't cry when you need our support, &we don't offer you solidarity after you've thrown us under the bus & dismissed our humanity repeatedly. Antifascism ≠ Antiracism. Being 'leftist' ≠ Antiracist. 10/
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Being racist isn't a fixed state and we all have to keep ourselves in check about that. If you have been called out that doesn't mean you are marked for life, it means you have work to do on yourself to not be a racist asshole. Sometimes just being quiet & listening to your 11/
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colleagues of color can do wonders instead of always centering yourself & insisting you aren't racist. It costs nothing to stfu. Some thoughts for the weekend. Leadership is action. Start listening & observing your grad students/ECR cause that's where you'll find leadership. /endpic.twitter.com/KoK7yYIenh
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One last thing, if you value strict adherence to rules and politeness over genuine goodness (which is rarely polite) then that's fine. Go be a bootlicker, I guess, but don't stand in the way of those who are working for a better field and world for everyone.
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One of my favorite things abt coming across bios of our young(er) scholars is that lots of them make no bones abt having "early medieval England" (or whatever alternative) specialist as part of their title. Most of them get it.