Academic, feminist, father

This article operates at the crossroads of neoliberal academia, critical scholarship and feminism(s), and fathering. I share three moves in my life whereby I became an academic, a feminist, and a father. Reflecting on what engaging with supportive communities and journals has meant in these moves, I bring to the fore what I argue are crucial issues in meaningful academic work: trust, respect, and compassion. Rather than being my personal stories, the three moves show how our work and lives are intertwined and how we need each other as scholars to make sense of what is happening to us. I argue that feminist commitments can support our engagement in trustful relations, respect for differences, and compassion for each other. With these thoughts I join critical and feminist discussions on what it means to be an academic today.