Humboldt University Berlin, Unter den Linden
by Ares Kalandides
There is something very symbolic about the way that the two Humboldt brothers perch in front of the main University building that bears their name in Berlin. Academia sits on a pedestal as a “grand seigneur”. This demonstration of both upper class and masculinity is not a coincidence. It is the guiding principle behind the academic world – at least in Germany. I will not talk about the frightingly low percentages of women among academics in higher positions; or about the still strong class and ethnicity bias in German universities; not even about the patriarchal relations that reproduce academic traditions in this country. There is enough evidence about all of that for anybody who cares to research. I would like to report from my own experience, at the borderline between an academic and a consultant, trying to reflect upon fake dichotomies. Continue reading
