Navigating Through Vocational Pressures in the Academy

The 2012 FTE Leaders in the Academy Conference allowed me to consider how I define my vocation as an African American scholar. Vincent Harding’s article, “IBW and the Vocation of the Black Scholar” brought forth some questions and concerns that I have about the place of the black scholar in the academy. Harding argues that the calling of the black scholar is to fully incorporate the black experience into his/her research. The work of a black scholar should serve as an effective tool that strengthens and empowers the voices and experiences of African Americans. Harding’s article was written in 1974, where social and political issues differed from our current situations in 2012. However, I have reflected on how his claims are being applied in today’s academic setting.

My work focuses on feminist-literary readings of the Hebrew Bible, using post-structuralist theories to identify and analyze the androcentric sexual politics that are embedded into the texts. Up to this point, my research has not included African American hermeneutics. However, as a developing biblical scholar who is African American I have experienced both explicit and implicit pressures from some members of the academy and my religious community to incorporate “black experience(s)” into my research through Africana studies and/or interpreting the text through womanist perspectives. I currently do not feel led to focus on womanist interpretation, and I do not want my scholarship to be pigeon-holed or restricted to African American studies. However, as a black woman in the academy I feel as though I have the responsibility to represent and to assist the black community through my work. I sometimes experience feelings of guilt because my work is not focused on womanist interpretation. A crucial aspect of discerning my purpose as a scholar is to address and reconcile this tension, and to figure out how to represent the black community through my work without compromising my authentic voice.

This issue raises the question of how one identifies with black experience and the variety of black experiences that exist today. Harding had a clear and narrow definition of the black experience because of his social context, particularly the affects of the civil-rights movement during his time. However, in our multi-cultural contemporary society black experience needs to redefined so that it takes into consideration the diverse identities of African-Americans. At this conference, I was given the opportunity to experience and appreciate these diversities through small and large group dialogues. My time with other FTE doctoral fellows helped me navigate through these questions and provided me with tools to further discern my vocational calling.