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Sben Korsh

@sbenkorsh.bsky.social

University of Michigan PhD Candidate and Student Associate at the Stone Center for Inequality Dynamics. Writing a dissertation on how architecture firms, schools, and associations were socially conserved while economically liberalized since the 1970s.

177 Followers  |  125 Following  |  14 Posts  |  Joined: 16.10.2023  |  1.7288

Latest posts by sbenkorsh.bsky.social on Bluesky

Post image Over the past 5 years, I’ve often felt belittled by what the anthropologist David Graeber called our “bureaucratic apparatus for the creation and maintenance of hopelessness.” More recently, I’ve been trying to move away from this—what psychoanalyst Jessica Benjamin says is a doer/done-to relation in which you are only acted upon by another rather than also being one who can act. For me, this means emerging from psychic retreat to reclaim my accomplishments. Over these years: ✨ I’ve visited almost 40 architecture schools and archives across the US, touring their facilities and researching their collections on a shoe-string budget in order to write a critical history of architectural education and practice since the 1970s. ✨ I’ve learned (through seminars, advisement and affiliation within one of the country’s top sociology departments) the social study of professions, states and higher ed—and sought to grapple with their many capitalist contradictions. ✨ I’ve uplifted my coworkers to win a life-changing contract, and organized with thousands of others to demand divestment and democratic control of our university. I’ve also sought to hold the wider academy to similar account by organizing within and outside of its establishment institutions. ✨ I’ve taught many hundreds of undergrad and graduate students, both at Michigan and the Kendall College of Art and Design—encouraging them to critically think about not only the architectural field but the wider world in which it resides. Looking ahead, I want to reenter a space of recognition so as to go beyond being the “done-to.” To know myself in right relation with so many mentors, students and coworkers. Here’s to making things otherwise 💫

Over the past 5 years, I’ve often felt belittled by what the anthropologist David Graeber called our “bureaucratic apparatus for the creation and maintenance of hopelessness.” More recently, I’ve been trying to move away from this—what psychoanalyst Jessica Benjamin says is a doer/done-to relation in which you are only acted upon by another rather than also being one who can act. For me, this means emerging from psychic retreat to reclaim my accomplishments. Over these years: ✨ I’ve visited almost 40 architecture schools and archives across the US, touring their facilities and researching their collections on a shoe-string budget in order to write a critical history of architectural education and practice since the 1970s. ✨ I’ve learned (through seminars, advisement and affiliation within one of the country’s top sociology departments) the social study of professions, states and higher ed—and sought to grapple with their many capitalist contradictions. ✨ I’ve uplifted my coworkers to win a life-changing contract, and organized with thousands of others to demand divestment and democratic control of our university. I’ve also sought to hold the wider academy to similar account by organizing within and outside of its establishment institutions. ✨ I’ve taught many hundreds of undergrad and graduate students, both at Michigan and the Kendall College of Art and Design—encouraging them to critically think about not only the architectural field but the wider world in which it resides. Looking ahead, I want to reenter a space of recognition so as to go beyond being the “done-to.” To know myself in right relation with so many mentors, students and coworkers. Here’s to making things otherwise 💫

Awaiting some news, so logging back-in to bolster up; it’s so nice to know and be known by you on these here interwebs.

01.10.2025 16:44 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

based 🤘

26.12.2024 04:39 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

FYI the answer is yes! He concludes:

"Neoliberalism remains the best way to describe the political and economic order of post-1960s America."

Volcker and Nader's Raiders were elite Ivy League liberal capitalists — not leftists. Historicism will not save us. Clarity will. More trade books, please!

18.12.2024 18:19 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent

I am beyond excited to be in the current issue of @criticalinquiry.bsky.social with my research on László Moholy-Nagy's occupational therapy work with veterans ... ping me if you need a gift link! www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

18.12.2024 17:15 — 👍 6    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 1
Preview
UW System spends millions on consultants - WORT-FM 89.9 The UW System paid Chicago-based Huron Consulting Group $51 million between 2019 and 2023, WORT found through an open records request.

the grift will continue until the consultancies and ed-tech partners have destroyed every.single.public.university.

"$51 million dollars. That’s how much money the UW System paid Chicago-based Huron Consulting Group between 2019 and 2023."

www.wortfm.org/uw-system-sp...

17.12.2024 02:44 — 👍 192    🔁 75    💬 12    📌 11
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Left the Black Student Union’s rally to protect DEI.

Less than a block away, overhear a white student talking about his family’s upcoming Christmas ski trip in Utah.

05.12.2024 21:10 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
University sets policy on diversity statements | The University Record

So we've banned diversity statements -- I don't actually like them much myself (read the damned work to know where someone stands intellectually and ethically), but the write-up in the house propaganda organ is hilarious, as usual. record.umich.edu/articles/uni...

05.12.2024 13:22 — 👍 9    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0
AAUP Unionism | AAUP Read about the context and the character of AAUP academic unionism and the aspirations that guide our activities.

Interesting... Yet still, so worrying 😔

Hoping this encourages UMich Ann Arbor TT faculty to follow Flint and MSU faculty (as they follow EMU and Wayne) by unionizing with the American Association of University Professors / American Federation of Teachers. www.aaup.org/chapter-orga...

05.12.2024 18:35 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Tell Ono and the Regents: Protect DEI. Rally Outside the President's House. December 5th, 2:30pm. Image of protestors with signs reading "Black Power is Real Power" and "End Racism." A person at the center of the crowd has their fist raised. A text on the side says, "Tell U-M to reaffirm its commitment to DEI"

Tell Ono and the Regents: Protect DEI. Rally Outside the President's House. December 5th, 2:30pm. Image of protestors with signs reading "Black Power is Real Power" and "End Racism." A person at the center of the crowd has their fist raised. A text on the side says, "Tell U-M to reaffirm its commitment to DEI"

We are in for a wild few years, but in it together ✊

05.12.2024 18:07 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

If you're interested or know someone who might be, please email me or reach out here ✊ sbenkorsh@gmail.com

05.12.2024 18:00 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Today, the University of Michigan's admin unilaterally announced the elimination of diversity statements in faculty hiring. The Regents are rumored to vote this afternoon to dismantle the university's DEI programs. The Black Student Union has called a rally outside the President's House at 2:30pm.

05.12.2024 17:56 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0

In other fields, you will occasionally encounter Virginia Poly or UC Santa Cruz—less wealthy, less prestigious research universities that nevertheless have become dominant polls in their fields of scholarly production. In architecture, you have the Ivys and *maybe* 4-5 flagship publics. It's wrong!

05.12.2024 17:48 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

I also want to collaborate with a team to mine academic architects' online bios to show the field's bias toward elite university education (particularly the Ivy League). I've started doing this in the past, but it needs a team (and folks who can scrape web data.) Architecture is notably worse.

05.12.2024 17:42 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

I want to collaborate with a tech-talented person to create an online tool that generates mad lib-style bios for academic architects. The bios will regurgitate the same few schools, institutions, fellowships, and foundations. The purpose is to critique the elite and closed culture of the field.

05.12.2024 17:37 — 👍 5    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Friends across the country are really going through it.

The capitalist insurance and pharmaceutical industries have made a mockery of mental health.

CBT and DBT have gaslit everyone.

Trying to get folks connected with their local psychoanalytic institutes.

27.11.2024 18:11 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

I read on twitter that this place is like a nonprofit happy hour.

Thought it was hilarious tbh.

Jokes on me tho, I’ve only ever worked at nonprofits 😭

20.11.2024 06:24 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Most academics are organic intellectuals of liberal capitalism

19.10.2023 16:48 — 👍 7    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

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