Difficult Conversations: Academic Cultures

This panel draws on the insights of accomplished scholars in information science, to focus attention on the ways in which their own careers were shaped by the academic cultures in which they have labored. In contemporary North America, a neo-liberal academic culture dominates higher education and attempts to diversify the academy over the past several decades have at times been limited and have recently been brought into sharp and destructive focus under the current presidential administration. The panel addresses the questions: How have scholars who are senior members of the academy today understood their careers and experiences, and the cultures that shaped those? What strategies have been used to manage diverse types of experiences?.