Who teaches whom? On the cannibalization of graduate students in colonial academia
In an ideal world, the graduate student undertakes research with a professor who is leader in the field. The professor introduces the student to the broad literature in the field, noting the key monumental works which shaped the discipline. Within this map provided by the professor, the graduate student undertakes his/her journey with the idea to uncover new information or theories which will contribute to the total understanding in the field, thus gaining recognition for his work and for his mentor. It is, generally speaking, a virtuous cycle to the benefit to all parties involved. The situation in a colonial setting, however, tends to be the reverse. As previously noted, the colonial setting is usually characterized by heavy teaching loads and poor resources. This means that the professor neither has the time to dedicate to research--a very time consuming task--nor the means to identify resources which will become key elements of the final product, be it a book or an article. As a result of this condition, the professor typically ends up cannibalizing the graduate student to promote his or her own research; rather than contributing to the student's knowledge, the professor 'eats' what little knowledge the student has gradually and laboriously accumulated. (This, of course, depends on the ethics and discipline of the professor.) A 'colonial academic culture' emerges whereby, knowing that the opportunities for future employment are next to none, such intellectual cannibalizations become routine and loose the egregious ethical undertones that are natural byproducts of 'virtuous' metropolitan settings. The graduate student, penniless and hopeless, continues to 'collaborate' in the vain illusion that at some future time a position will be granted to make up for all the trouble and sacrifices they have undertaken--a promise which rarely is ever fulfilled.