Against the backdrop of neoliberal reforms and increasing vulnerability in higher education, we argue that microaffirmations, as a form of corporeal generosity, have a subversive potential and as such may contribute to a much-needed renaissance in academia. In this paper, we offer an empirically-grounded investigation of the experience of being affirmed through practices of what we call “collegial generosity.” Through highly sensitive micro-phenomenological interviews with academics across ranks and disciplines, we show how these fleeting moments are lived as subjective shifts – often marked by surprise, joy, and gratitude – that can instill a renewed sense of possibility and professional purpose. Building on embodied ethics, we conceptualize microaffirmations as ethical encounters that enhance our capacity to act and connect to others in our academic environments. These acts are experienced as restorative space-opening gestures that create joy and enhance an individual’s sense of belonging to their academic discipline and collegial community.
Branlat et al. (Mon,) studied this question.