Unravelling the university

Image by Chad Osburn from the Sad Chairs of Academia project | sadchairsofacademia.tumblr.com At the end of August this year, I clocked up two important milestones: 12 years in Australia, and my departure from Griffith University in Brisbane, where I had spent those 12 years after arriving from the European University Institute in Florence in 2014. This time of change has led me to reflect on university life in Australia, at least as I’ve seen it. My initial years in academia here were wonderful – without doubt the best of my career so far. The School of Government and International Relations where I worked provided a fantastic environment. I had colleagues and mentors who were generous with their time and advice. I was supported in my teaching, published well, won Australian Research Council grants, and by 2018 I had been promoted from Senior Lecturer to Professor. Most importantly, I felt part of a community, within my department and more broadly within my university. Over time,…