Down The Research Rabbit Hole
Photo Credit: Scott Coleman.
Here is the F**k'n problem with being a graduate student in the Humanities and Social Sciences. There is way too much fantastic nerdy-shit to keep you from falling into that research rabbit hole.
Think about it this way. The photo to the right, a lame-ass attempt to be a visual metaphor for what I will write about, and it's going to work! It is a passageway in one of the underground cities in Cappadocia, Turkey. Grad school is like those cities. You are interested and intrigued when you get there, but it's creepy, cold, and terrifying once you are inside. Then you see the light, and it takes you deeper underground. Fear turns into excitement as you begin to discover some really fascinating mutha-f**k'n things. New passages lead you into new rooms, and they have paths that take you into other rooms. Before you know it, your fear is gone, and that quiet Indiana Jones voice has now turned into a full-blown LET'S FIND SOME TREASURE AND KICK SOME NAZI ASSES! Now, you are actively looking for new rooms, chambers, and treasures. Only to find out that the rooms, chambers, and passageways have already been looted, excavated and preserved. There are no Nazis to punch in the face, and you are lost. You haven't paid any attention to the rabbit holes you plunged down into, and you can't find your way back to the surface.
However, you are still enjoying this adventure while Indie, that little angel sitting on your shoulder, continues to whisper in your ear. "Keep exploring," despite the fact that you are way off your intended path. Then you see a light, a sparkling glimmer that is the exit of this prolonged darkness. This is the way out. The Exit! You know you should go towards the door. It is the right choice. It is the path you should be taking, but that bitch-ass sitting on your shoulder keeps whispering into your ear, "Just one more room. Just another quick look around in case we missed something."
Photo Credit: Scott Coleman.
FRIENDS! That Is Mutha-F**k’n Grad School!
With that being said, how the F**k do you stay on track? SHOULD WE STAY ON TRACK?
What I have learned thus far is that you keep exploring. F**k that light. I want to explore and not because I want to look for treasure or Nazis to punch in the face (though that would feel good), but to explore for the sake of exploring. I love learning, and I genuinely believe that Knowledge is Power.
That is what I love about the Humanities, no matter what field or discipline you specialize in. The skills that you stumble upon by exploring those dark, hopelessly endless passageways are TRANSFERABLE! You can use them anywhere at any time. In fact, my current research, for example, has taken me into many different disciplines.
I am learning how to use GIS systems, learning new languages, better writing skills (despite my best efforts to sabotage that by writing this blog), and numerous other skill-sets from disciplines such as History, Archaeology, Classics, English, Geography, Anthropology, and many more. This, my friends, is invaluable when you walk out into that wacky world we live in.
Try A Rabbit Hole And See Where It Leads You!
I went back to university to study history, primarily World War I, but I wandered and explored. Now I am working with a collection of Byzantine Coins; have excavated at and continue to study a remote rural-fortified Byzantine/Roman settlement in central Anatolia; I have been published as a co-author, co-curated a numismatics exhibition and currently curating a virtual exhibition and, hopefully, will be doing a Ph.D. that explores how Canadian museums represent Byzantine/Roman identity through coin exhibitions. That's a mouth full.
This may all seem like lame shit—useless information for the modern world.WELL IT MUTHA-F**K’N ISN”T!
And here is why…
The Next Favor. 'A flag to suit the minority.'
Political cartoon on Canada's multicultural identity, from 1911. Source: Wikipedia/Archives of Ontario.
WHAT IS MISSING FROM THIS IMAGE???
It is all about critical thinking and applying that thinking to the modern world you live in. It can be global, regional, or local. The critical thinking skills you gain give you the ability to communicate and express your thoughts, opinions, and ideas. These are skills that can be applied to any business venture, NGO projects, Politics, community services and volunteer groups…basically, anything you can think of. For example, my topics may seem dull and F**k'n boring to you. However, I am now better able to understand how "Identity" is being used in the political arena. The past has always been manipulated for the benefit of the present to mould the future. Whether you like it or not, how we represent the past in museums directly impacts our current perceptions of the present and future. Think about how Canada has represented the Indigenous populations and their history. How Canada continues to describe its past and define Indigenous people. I am not, however, going to dive into that tinder box at this time. However, I can say that I am a more knowledgeable person. I can critically think about these complex topics in a more nuanced fashion than I could before going back to university. Thanks to the Humanities and listening to Indiana, who still sits on my shoulder.I have grown as a person and as a human thanks to the subjects I study.
Definitely a Fav Meme of Mine!
See where the rabbit hole has taken us in this post. F**k’n crazy. From grad school, underground cities in Cappadocia and punching Nazis in the face, to Identity and how to critically think about such topics. What a trip, eh? This post was meant to be a rant. A rant about how research is a bitch and how easy one can slip off their studies path. And what the F**k to do about it. Instead, I think I have in a very brief way shown that plunging into that rabbit hole with Indie on your shoulder is not a bad thing. That the Humanities and Social Sciences allows you to explore these dark tunnels of nothingness and end up coming out of them full of knowledge and skills that can be used anywhere and anytime. And maybe, just maybe, you got to punch a Nazi in the face!