Imposter Syndrome and Classics
Imposter syndrome is a popular topic in academic and student circles but it's also a term which has been criticised. To some, it deflects away class and institutional rooted anxities as a feeling which is in someone's head. I have suffered from imposter syndrome for nearly ten years, so I thought it would be interesting to provide my own perspective.
I think it's crucial to note that the most common reason for imposter syndrome in Classics is a feeling of incompetence in classical languages. I think the key problem here is the different cultural approaches which state comprehensive school students and grammar and private students have to Classics. The comprehensive sector typically teaches Classical Civilisation, where the texts are studied in translation and the grammar and private sector teaches Classics, where language ability is the focus. Both are valuable disciplines, but it's no secret that academia has a huge preference for Classics and spurns Class Civ as a 'dumbed down' alternative. There's really no surprise then why comprehensive students feel like imposters.
When I started my MA, my Latin skills were considerably worse than my fellow students. It wasn't in my head, it wasn't a 'syndrome', I was worse because I had only studied Latin for three years and they had studied it for well over ten years. They had developed approaches to Latin and had an understanding of metre which I didn't. I was a comprehensive student and they were grammar and private students. There were real class related reasons for why I felt inferior. I had entered a discipline (Classics) which is the subject of the grammar and private sphere.
Of course, Latin and Ancient Greek are taught at universities at beginner level. These courses are fantastic: I wouldn't be a PhD student without them. However, I believe it's impossible for the average student to catch up with those who have so much experience in the private and grammar system through these programmes. I know a few students who have, but they are exceptionally talented and are gifted in languages.
So I would argue the root of imposter syndrome is class related. You feel like an imposter because you don't fit into a social group from which you are typically excluded. However, I do also think that some of the ways imposter syndrome affects you are pyschological.
In my case, I thought I was unusually terrible at Latin and would never get better. This wasn't true, I actually ended up doing very well in my Latin MA module and am confident in my Latin abilities now. After years of experience and willpower, you can pull yourself up, it's not a lost cause.
Additionally, I greatly overestimated how good most students are in Latin. Fluency is rare and most Classicists only have language skills which are good enough for their research. When you feel like an outsider of the subject, it's easy to interpret the fetishisation of the classical languages too seriously and believe that everyone really is that good. I've noticed that Classics students tend to exaggerate their langage abilities so not to look inferior in front of their colleagues, who they assume are fluent. It's a nasty self-fulfilling imposter cycle.
I'm aware that I've not touched upon other common and significant causes of imposter syndrome: gender (including being transgender), ethnicity, sexuality, etc. These are alsi the symptoms of institutional problems. I'll profess ignorance here because I benefit from institutional privilege and so don't suffer from these issues. However, I hope my example can provide some insight into imposter syndrome!
Imposter syndrome is a popular topic in academic and student circles but it's also a term which has been criticised. To some, it deflects away class and institutional rooted anxities as a feeling which is in someone's head. I have suffered from imposter syndrome for nearly ten years, so I thought it would be interesting to provide my own perspective.
I think it's crucial to note that the most common reason for imposter syndrome in Classics is a feeling of incompetence in classical languages. I think the key problem here is the different cultural approaches which state comprehensive school students and grammar and private students have to Classics. The comprehensive sector typically teaches Classical Civilisation, where the texts are studied in translation and the grammar and private sector teaches Classics, where language ability is the focus. Both are valuable disciplines, but it's no secret that academia has a huge preference for Classics and spurns Class Civ as a 'dumbed down' alternative. There's really no surprise then why comprehensive students feel like imposters.
When I started my MA, my Latin skills were considerably worse than my fellow students. It wasn't in my head, it wasn't a 'syndrome', I was worse because I had only studied Latin for three years and they had studied it for well over ten years. They had developed approaches to Latin and had an understanding of metre which I didn't. I was a comprehensive student and they were grammar and private students. There were real class related reasons for why I felt inferior. I had entered a discipline (Classics) which is the subject of the grammar and private sphere.
Of course, Latin and Ancient Greek are taught at universities at beginner level. These courses are fantastic: I wouldn't be a PhD student without them. However, I believe it's impossible for the average student to catch up with those who have so much experience in the private and grammar system through these programmes. I know a few students who have, but they are exceptionally talented and are gifted in languages.
So I would argue the root of imposter syndrome is class related. You feel like an imposter because you don't fit into a social group from which you are typically excluded. However, I do also think that some of the ways imposter syndrome affects you are pyschological.
In my case, I thought I was unusually terrible at Latin and would never get better. This wasn't true, I actually ended up doing very well in my Latin MA module and am confident in my Latin abilities now. After years of experience and willpower, you can pull yourself up, it's not a lost cause.
Additionally, I greatly overestimated how good most students are in Latin. Fluency is rare and most Classicists only have language skills which are good enough for their research. When you feel like an outsider of the subject, it's easy to interpret the fetishisation of the classical languages too seriously and believe that everyone really is that good. I've noticed that Classics students tend to exaggerate their langage abilities so not to look inferior in front of their colleagues, who they assume are fluent. It's a nasty self-fulfilling imposter cycle.
I'm aware that I've not touched upon other common and significant causes of imposter syndrome: gender (including being transgender), ethnicity, sexuality, etc. These are alsi the symptoms of institutional problems. I'll profess ignorance here because I benefit from institutional privilege and so don't suffer from these issues. However, I hope my example can provide some insight into imposter syndrome!
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