Knowledge, Power and Equality - Academia perspective

The journey to further my knowledge has been my passion for as long as I can remember and I have always been eager to pursue my study of law, power of human mind, leadership, innovation, artificial intelligence, drama etc. Also, I have recognised that to study successfully, and to acquire the ability(ies) to present an investigation, introduce facts and initiate principle(s) through a detailed accurate model, means not only having an appetite for knowledge (and the desire for explanation or justification), it means focussed exertion and a committed & concentrated process towards mastering academic skills at universities under the leadership of dynamic, pioneering scholars and professionals.

Leading is following and following is leading - the evolution of further innovative thought. The ongoing thirst for unravelling, stimulating and challenging 'the secrets' within the human psyche, and for more comprehensible methods, 'tactics' and approaches to do so, lead me to the most intellectually demanding setting, such as University of Aberdeen, Anglia Ruskin University, Gdansk University and AST National Academy of Theatre Arts. Virginia Woolf said once,’ If we help an educated man's daughter to go to [universities] are we not forcing her to think not about education but about war? - not how she can learn, but how she can fight in order that she might win the same advantages as her brothers?’

The educational empowerment of women across the world is one of the most exceptional revolutions of the past 100 years. This is primarily the academia that provides essential means for empowering women with the right skills, self-confidence and most importantly: knowledge, to fully comprehend and participate in the constantly developing world. This revolution is exceptional because of the extent of the change: millions of women who were once dependent on men have taken control of their own educational fates and life in general. It is exceptional also because it has referred to the Power of Human Mind. Knowledge is Power!

The earliest documented occurrence of this phrase is from Imam Ali (599-661 CE). He argued, “Remember that knowledge is a ruler and wealth is its subject.” (Imam Ali, Nahj Al-Balagha, Saying 146). We have come a long way since the words been said, and it’s been a long time since we have seen such a public debate about the power of women and equality within the academia. The academic world is not yet equal, recent study suggests “the biases and stereotypes women in academia confront create environments in which women feel constantly scrutinized and relatively powerless.” (Penelope M. Huang, 'Gender Bias in Academia: Findings from Focus Groups')

But the power of women scholars and their thought does not look like abating. We are resilient in the face of adversity. Despite the gender pay gap, the biases and stereotypes, and the gender gap across all university appointments, we see a growing awareness of these issues. There is an awakening acknowledgement that social structures, such as academia, are subjectively existing things which cannot control our behaviour to some extent. As argued by Weber the social structures as “necessary fictions” and that reality exists on the level of the individual. (Max Weber, The Theory Of Social And Economic Organization).

If knowledge is power, the power to introduce change is within us and within our passion for acquiring more knowledge. We all have the power to bring others with us on the path to equality. We all have the power to leave no human – women or men – behind. Hence, let us make it through the nigh with the light of knowledge and let our knowledge be guessed by the sign of equality to all human beings.

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