Dads in Academia
The editors of Dads in Academia: Male Voices In and Out of the Ivory Tower invite contributions for an interdisciplinary collection of creative nonfiction essays on the
rewards and challenges of being both a father and an academic. Much
recent discussion about the juxtaposition of parenthood and the
academy has focused on the difficulties that female professors face
when they choose to become mothers. Books like Mama, PhD, edited by Caroline Grant and Elrena Evans, depict the oftentimes bleak prospects of merging the two endeavors. This collection welcomes the masculine voice into this lively and provocative dialogue. Further, Dads in Academia creates a space for male professors to describe their own experiences of balancing the demands and desires of two worlds that have changed notably throughout the past few decades: fatherhood and academia.
We encourage contributors to consider the changing cultural
perceptions, representations, and expectations associated with
fatherhood, and to explore the impact of such changes on their
identities as teachers and scholars. Increasingly, fathers are taking on a more intense role with regard to child-rearing than ever before.
How do today’s male academics view their participation in the
parenting process? How is this changing the nature of the job? Has
the evolving role of the father in contemporary society changed the
job itself?
We also welcome essays that focus on how the evolution of fatherhood
is changing the face of academia. Have we seen any concrete changes
on college campuses to encourage the “professor as interactive father” schemata? What is the climate like for male professors who “want it all”? Are they able to balance fatherhood and the road to tenure? What gives?
Editors:
Mary Ruth Marotte, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of English and the Director of Graduate Studies in English at the University of Central Arkansas, where she specializes in women’s studies and critical theory. Her book, Captive Bodies: American Women Writers Redefine Pregnancy and Childbirth, was released by Demeter Press in October 2008. She lives in Conway, AR with her husband and three children.
Paige Martin Reynolds, Ph.D. is an Assistant
Professor of English at the University of Central Arkansas. Her
specializations include Shakespeare, British Renaissance Drama,
Performance Studies, and Elizabeth I. She has written articles
published or forthcoming in SEL: Studies in English Literature,
1500-1900, ANQ: American Notes and Queries, and 1650-1850: Ideas,
Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era. She lives in
Little Rock, AR with her husband and daughter.
Deadline: March 1, 2009
Length: 1,500 to 4,000 words.
Format: Essays must be typed, double-spaced, and paginated. Please
include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and a short bio on the last page.
Contact: Mary Ruth Marotte at mrmarotte AT hotmail DOT com for more
information