Monstrous academics

In this chapter, three academics test an approach to supportive, collaborative writing based on the game known as Exquisite Corpse, while reflecting on difficult aspects of academic practice in monstrous times. Exquisite Corpse is a drawing game during which players take turns to add sections to what becomes a composition of diverse parts. Here, the approach is adapted to an academic context. Drawers become writers; the three authors become three players. We found that this approach gave us a playful space within which to explore concepts of monstrosity and marginality (including abjection, incursion, and erasure) and also to share our perspectives on experiences of affect within the academy. In a final, collective autopsy, the authors share reflections on epistemological status, interdisciplinarity, and the politics of productivity.