Academics make it hard!

A: Dunno if we'll both have enough time to finish this but wanted to open up this topic:

Non-fiction books, mainly academic ones.

Now, I'm developing an unease with reading academic books because they're morally overbearing and not in the good way, I think. Yes, there's a good morally overbearing which is when someone problematizes the way you experience or do something but gives you proper questions that guide you towards a manner of thinking that helps solve the problem. That makes sense to me. However, there are some statements that just make me uneasy and maybe it's because of a lack of ideological clarity or whatever my Marxist side of the brain tells me but it's becoming troublesome.

Let me explain.

I was in the taxi this morning (yes, I paid 25 pounds to get here) when I was reading this book by Chandra mohanty, a famous Indian feminist, that wrote a ground-breaking articles called "under western eyes", which critiques Western feminist discourse for belittling and under-simplifying the "third world woman", who doesn't really exist either way.

The book's name is called "Feminist Without Borders" (yes, I know) and right on the 6th page of the introduction, I'm thinking this is great. You see, she's talking about politics of solidarity as an important practice needed when you is a practicing feminist. And here I am, an intern at the an NGO (with its unique posturings—let's keep it at that) and I'm thinking "hmm, good. We work on coalition-building and collaboration and I have been interested in reading material that could help me develop these methodologies for future projects at work." When all of a sudden, and this isn't really out of nowhere given that Mohanty is a feminist anti-racist, anti-imperialist (read: Leftist) scholar, I'm reading and the line reads "capitalism is seriously incompatible with feminist visions of social and economic justice." At which point I stop and I'm like:

Tab eh? Should I even bother finishing the book? The thing is though, I respect what she has to say, but I just wondered, as someone who has managed to get academic books that 1. aren't really available in this country (I bought this book on a visit to New York two years ago) 2. has managed to gain the skill to feel comfortable in reading this highly jargonized books 3. has gained an appreciation for these book, such a statement makes me think:

"Oh nevermind, I can't use this for work."

That's just a side-effect of statements like (and yes, I'll repeat it so you don't have to look for it again) "capitalism is seriously incompatible with feminist visions of social and economic justice."

Anyways, just wanted to put it out there. You're not obliged to respond. Good morning love.

E: Good morning A.

I think the problem with academia recently is simple. Somehow, academia has managed to become synonymous with anti-Capitalist/Leftist/Radical/Whatever they wish to call themselves thinking. If you are in any way not these things, then you are not truly an academic because you are not removing yourself from the materialism that "stops" the brain from looking beyond the here and now to the how's what's and why's. For some reason, academics who do not bash the Capitalist nature of their world are not considered worthy of their status as academics. This is why so many find it necessary to include such ideologically and morally overbearing statements and try to push such un-moderate beliefs. And because they are all so entrenched in the system, they truly believe that these are their ideals and not their conformity to the academic forum or club.

It's a shame really, because I still think academia shouldn't be so closely linked to political ideologies. Or ideology really. they only seem to accept one branch. Why can't you think about things without linking them whether they comply with a specific branch of politics or economic thought? In Mohanty's case, why can feminism never be compatible with any form of capitalism? How is the idea of a free and equal woman incompatible with capitalism? I don't think this is true. I believe in both the equality of women and the freedom to pursue your economic interests. Does my belief in one negate my belief in the other? It would be a shame if academia has become that closed-minded.