Justice-Oriented Faculty and the University: Into the Contradiction

In my 2025 presidential address to the American Education Studies Association, I write into three contradictions faced by university faculty who are committed to working toward justice. 1. Some of us feel a deep sense of affection and loyalty to our institutions, which are incapable of reciprocating. On the contrary, it is not unlikely that they’ll betray us. 2. A postsecondary degree can be positively transformative to people’s lives: financially, socially, and intellectually enriching. But, advanced educational attainment can also lead to distancing, or even estrangement from families, communities, and cultures of origin. 3. Universities can be, and have been historically, a powerful force for justice. Unfortunately, the way they often function is exactly opposite, suppressing and silencing those who challenge the current power structure. Despite these contradictions, I will remain devoted to the university as an institution and higher education as a project. This decision, however, is one that every justice-oriented faculty member must make for themselves.