We Need an Academic Spring!

My research focuses on how imaginings of place and identity have been constituted through visual art. This is great fun and has resulted in quite a few publications - books and articles.

While working as university lecturer in the UK, I have had unfettered and free access to numerous academic journals, but without such affiliation all of this stops abruptly. Suddenly, the researcher is cut adrift and being a university alumnus does not generally help at all.

Without the enabling affiliation to a university or college, researchers are expected by publishers ("Buy Now!") to fork out £20-£25 pounds to view ONE ARTICLE. This clearly makes research and publication - already largely unfunded especially in the Humanities - impossible. It  represents a great loss of ideas, talent and motivation, and I was going to say benefits no-one.

However, publishing houses presumably make something of a profit on this (although I don't know how many independent researchers can actually afford to pay) and universities must have reasons (exclusivity?) for colluding in such a patently unfair system.

We need an Academic Spring!
Tricia
See also: http://academicspring.blogspot.co.uk/