Robbe -Jan Ad iaansen*
Da k Academia: Cu a ing A ec i e His o y in a
COVID-E a In e ne Aes he ic
h ps://doi.o g/10.1515/iph-2022-2047
Published online Decembe 9, 2022
Abs ac : Da k academia is an ‘in e ne aes he ic,’an
aes he ic s yle used in pos s on pla o ms such as Tik-
Tok, Ins ag am, and Tumbl ha esona es he a mo-
sphe e o li e in boa ding schools, p ep schools, and (I y
League) colleges om he las decades o he nine een h
cen u y up un il he 1940s. I exp esses a ascina ion
wi h (neo-)go hic a chi ec u e; wi h weed, lace, wool,
and lea he ; wi h li e a u e and a , and Roman ic
longing. Ha ing been a main end on social media
pla o ms h oughou he co ona i us pandemic, da k
academia cap u es and acili a es cul u al engagemen
in imes o social isola ion and closed college campuses.
This a icle s udies he da k academia aes he ic as a
mnemonic cu a o ial p ac ice wi h endencies o coun e
hegemonic no ms and na a i es. Focusing on he a -
ec i e dimensions o da k academia, his a icle a gues
ha he aim o his in e ne aes he ic is o annul his o -
ical dis ance by cap u ing a mood and a mosphe e
associa ed wi h ea ly wen ie h-cen u y campuses
h ough he means o cu a ed social media ep esen a-
ions. This de-his o iciza ion allows o he enego ia ion
o alues, like insc ibing quee ness –associa ed wi h
sec e quee oman ics a gende -di ided schools –in o
i s ep esen a ional language, wi hou ha ing o easse
his o ical gende bina ies.
Keywo ds: da k academia, a ec , cu a ion, memo y
black co ees and eas, sil e signe ings, wo n pape backs, ink
smudged hands, eyes in s a ligh , ayed swea e s, cashme e,
wine colo ed lips, da k lashes, he smell o liquo and ciga s,
b oken glass, humming so ly down co ido s, s acks o books all
a ound you oom, oak and anilla, he pe ec mix o suga and
poison, speaking in ancien languages, ain ogging you glasses,
old clocks icking, inyl s a ic, sea ching o meaning, lines o
poe y w i en down you a ms, obscu ed by an ai o ambigui y,
mo ally g ey …mu de ?
1
This much eblogged quo e om he mic oblogging
pla o m Tumbl cap u es he ‘mood’o ‘ eel’o an
‘in e ne aes he ic’called‘da kacademia.’Da k academia
is an aes he ic s yle ha cen e s a ound a hema ic ocus
on li e in boa ding schools, p ep schools and colleges
om he las decades o he nine een h cen u y up un il
he 1940s. I idealizes his pe iod as a ime in which he
uppe classes s ill a o ed an educa ion in he libe al a s;
whe e he classics, he o ic, and li e a u e we e cen al
elemen s o schola ly in e es ; and whe e i a ional,
eso e ic, and mys e ious opics we e no sh ouded. A he
same ime, i s his o ical ou look is pas iche and a ec -
d i en: a he han emembe ing specific pas s i c ea es a
blended image o a i ac s, li e a u e, a , ashion, and
a chi ec u e ha mayo mayno bea e e ence oea ly
wen ie h-cen u y college li e, bu should a leas
con ibu e o da k academia’saes he icmood.Asin e es
in da k academia spiked among adolescen s a e he
co ona i us pandemic in oduced lockdowns globally in
Ma ch 2020, i inc easingly gained a social unc ion and
de eloped in o an in e ne subcul u e ha p o ided
cohesion in imes o social isola ion, while c ea ing a
sha ed alue sys em.
In his a icle, I will ake da k academia as a case o
s udy he dynamics o coun e -na a i es in he cu a ion
con ex (he e unde s ood as coun e -cu a ion) in in e ne
subcul u es. I will s udy how hey o igina e om cu a o-
ial p ac ices, as on pla o ms such as Tumbl , Ins ag am
and TikTok, pages and p o iles p o ide he ‘space’ o
cu a e an ‘aes he ic’ ha oman icizes college and s u-
den li e. A he same ime cu a ion acili a es ‘coun e ing’
pe cei ed dominan socie al no ms, alues, and de-
elopmen s, such as he impac o capi alism on highe
educa ion, and he bina y gende dis ibu ion. This
showcases he ‘democ a iza ion’and decen aliza ion o
cu a ion in he con ex o he ‘pla o miza ion’o memo y
on social media, which highligh s he a ious ways in
which memo y is shaped and a ec ed by social media
*Co esponding au ho : Robbe -Jan Ad iaansen, Cen e o His o ical
Cul u e, E asmus School o His o y, Cul u e and Communica ion,
E asmus Uni e si y Ro e dam, Ro e dam, Ne he lands,
E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
1sappyli lebi ch, “Types o Academia P . 1,”Tumbl ,Punk Isn’ Dead
bu i Am (blog), Augus 2020, h ps://sappyli lebi ch. umbl .com/
pos /626788480566149120/ ypes-o -academia-p -1.
In e na ional Public His o y. 2022; 5(2): 105–114
Open Access. © 2022 he au ho (s), published by De G uy e . This wo k is licensed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional
License.
in e aces, a o dances, and ecologies.
2
A he same ime,
i also u ges us o unde s and he impac o social and
echnological pla o m a o dances –such as sea ch
and ecommenda ion sys ems d i en by a ificial in elli-
gence –on cu a o ial p ac ices.
3
On social media pla o ms, ‘da k academics’ unc ion as
cu a o s o hei own pos s andpages, as hey b ing oge he
objec s, sounds, mo emen s, and quo a ions ha ensemble
es ablish he ‘look and eel’o his aes he ic, and gene a e a
speci ic mood o a mosphe e o melancholia, nos algia,
spleen, and soli ude –o en b ough in o connec ion wi h
he lockdown and he physical absence o campus li e –
while a he same ime s i ing o in ellec ual sublima ion.
I s ejec ion o he p agma ic endencies in con empo a y
highe educa ionmakesi aclea caseo coun e -cu a ion,as
da k academia mobilizes a nos algic image o an imagined
pas o coun e con empo a y sho comings. This highligh s
a second aspec ha his pape ocuses on nex o he pla -
o med democ a iza ion o memo y: he impo ance o a ec
and aes he ic expe ience in cu a ion. While i has been
a gued ha he heo y o cu a ion is in need o an epis e-
mology ha explains how cu a ion pe ains o knowledge
p oduc ion,
4
I a gue ha he ques o a ec also equi es a
eflec ion on he on ological dimension o coun e -cu a ion;
conc e ely, how coun e -cu a ion can aim o in oke
aes he ic expe iences ha a ec people’sdisposi ionsand
he eby how hey ela e o, in e p e , and imagine he wo ld.
This a icle speci ically ocuses on he social media
pla o m Tumbl , a c ucially ele an pla o m o unde -
s and he genesis and de elopmen o da k academia as i
appea s o be he pla o m whe e his in e ne aes he ic
o igina ed and de eloped.
5
Fi s , I will discuss Tumbl as a
pla o m ha acili a es coun e -cu a ion, pa icula ly
h ough he mobiliza ion o a ec . Then I will explo e he
genesis, main cha ac e is ics, and his o ical and li e a y
sou ces o inspi a ion o da k academia wi hin he con ex
o Tumbl . Subsequen ly I will analyze how, why, and o
wha e ec hese pas s a e cu a ed a ec i ely. Finally, I
will ou line he limi s o cu a ing a ec by discussing
issues o ep esen a ion and he ansla ion o da k
academia o di e en cul u al con ex s.
1 Coun e cul u es, Cu a ion, and
A ec on Tumbl
Founded in 2007, Tumbl is an online mic oblogging and
social ne wo king pla o m ha allows use s o pos sho
ex -based messages called ‘ umbles.’People can add
images, ideos, quo es, o links o o he websi es o hei
umbles. Tumbl g ew o be one o he mos popula social
media pla o ms o he ea ly 2010s, exp essed by he ac
ha i sold o $1.1 billion o Yahoo (la e acqui ed by
Ve izon) in 2011. Resen men agains his co po a e ake-
o e among Tumbl ’s use base did no hampe he pla -
o m’s popula i y, as use engagemen peaked in 2014 wi h
a ound 110 million new pos s e e y day.
6
Wi h he ise o
compe ing social media pla o ms such as Ins ag am,
Snapcha , and la ely TikTok, he pla o m’s popula i y
waned, wi h Ve izon selling he pla o m in 2019 o
epo edly $3 million
7
a a momen when he numbe o
new pos s pe day had d opped below 30 million.
8
No long
be o e, Tumbl had los 30 pe cen o i s use base as an
e ec o he mass dele ion o an blogs o copy igh
in ingemen , and a pu ge o isual po nog aphic con en
in esponse o he emo al o he Tumbl app om Apple’s
App S o e.
9
2Elisabe a Loca elli, “Towa ds he Pla o miza ion o (Social) Media
Memo y: A icula ing A chi e, Assemblage, and Epheme ali y,”
Comunicazioni Sociali XLIII, no. 1 (2021): 162–173, h ps://doi.o g/10.
26350/001200_000098; Rik Smi , “Die Pla o misie ung des E in-
ne ns,”in Handbuch kommunika ionswissenscha liche E inne -
ungs o schung: G undlagen –A bei s elde –Pe spek i en, by Ch is ian
Pen zold and Ch is ine Lohmeie (Be lin, Bos on: De G uy e ,
Decembe 2022).
3Robbe -Jan Ad iaansen, “His o ical Analogies and His o ical Con-
sciousness. Use -Gene a ed His o y Lessons on TikTok,”in His o y
Educa ion in he Digi al Age, ed. Ma io Ca e e o, Ma ía Can ab ana,
and C is ian Pa ellada (New Yo k: Sp inge ), h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/
978-3-031-10743-6_3.
4Benjamin Meye -K ahme , “A His o y o Cu a ing –Pas and P e-
sen ,”C i ique d’a . Ac uali é In e na ionale de la li é a u e c i ique
su l’a con empo ain, no. 45 (2015), h ps://doi.o g/10.4000/
c i iqueda .19153.
5K is en Ba eman, “Academia Li es –on TikTok,”The New Yo k
Times, June 30, 2020, h ps://www.ny imes.com/2020/06/30/s yle/
da k-academia- ik ok.h ml.
6Álex Ba edo, “Tumbl Is Tumbling,”Hacke Noon, No embe 25,
2017, h ps://hacke noon.com/ umbl -is- umbling-d6deb3bb831e.
7Rachel Siegel, “Tumbl Once Sold o $1.1 Billion. The Owne o
Wo dP ess Jus Bough he Si e o a F ac ion o Tha ,”Washing on
Pos , Augus 13, 2019, h ps://www.washing onpos .com/ echnology/
2019/08/13/ umbl -once-sold-billion-owne -wo dp ess-jus -bough -
si e- ac ion- ha /.
8Álex Ba edo, “Upda ed he #Tumbl Cha Showing he Numbe o
Pos s C ea ed Each Day o Gi e Con ex o he G ea Job Yahoo and Ve -
izon Did wi h I Good Luck o @au oma ic,”Twee , Twi e , Augus 12,
2019, h ps:// wi e .com/somospos pc/s a us/1161024458460712962.
9Shannon Liao, “A e he Po n Ban, Tumbl Use s Ha e Di ched he
Pla o m as P omised,”The Ve ge, Ma ch 14, 2019, h ps://www.
he e ge.com/2019/3/14/18266013/ umbl -po n-ban-los -use s-
down- a fic.
106 R.-J. Ad iaansen
Despi ei sdeclineinpopula i ywi hagene alaudience,
Tumbl has always main ained a dedica ed use base, as he
pla o m o e ed an “inhabi able space o people and com-
muni ies, especially hose wi h mino i a ian expe iences,
iden i ica ions, li es yles, and alues.”
10
As a pla o m,
Tumbl has widelybeen ecognized by use s and schola s as
an empowe ing pla o m o “socially and poli ically disen-
anchised”communi ies o “coun e publics.”
11
P ominen
opics and communi ies on he pla o m conce n andom,
eminism,peopleo colo ,LGBTQIA+, and men al heal h.
Use s a e engaged wi h social jus ice, and he pla o m has
had a o ma i e e ec on use s’sel -pe cep ion and wo ld-
iews. Howe e , schola s also ecognize he dange s o
communi ies c ea ing sel - ein o cing ‘u opias’ ha es ablish
an in o ma ional ‘ o ex’ ha suck people in o in o ma ion
bubbles and pe iods o in ense –bu no sus ainable –online
in e ac ions.
12
The blossoming o coun e cul u es on Tumbl has
been explained ou o i s pla o m a o dances, which
comp ise bo h he echnological capaci ies o he pla o m
ha use s can u ilize and use s’pe cep ions o hese pos-
sibili ies.
13
Cu a ion plays a c ucial ole he e, as use s a e
basically cu a o s o hei own con en . The hash ag-
o ien ed b owsing s uc u e, combined wi h an ‘infini e
sc olling’ eed allows o “endlessly explo e he communi y
you you sel cu a ed.”
14
As pos s will no only show up on
one’s own Tumbl page, bu a e publicly b owsable
h ough and in he con ex s o hese agged eeds, cu a ion
has a di ec communi y-building e ec , and use s cu a e
hei pos s o fi he con en and scope o he communi ies
whose idiosync a ic ags hey a e using.
15
This explains
how a as plu ali y o di e se communi ies can coexis on
he pla o m in expe ienced and imagined “silos.”
16
Al hough cu a ion is gene ally an indi idual e o o he
blog owne , social in e ac ion and he communi y ocus
make Tumbl a “collabo a i e, ( ans)pe sonal/( ans)me-
dia a chi al space,”
17
whe e skill ul cu a ion is much
app ecia ed and mos o he popula blogs de i e hei
ame om ap cu a ion a he han om c ea ing o iginal
con en .
18
None heless, despi e he public na u e and
communal cha ac e o Tumbl , use s s ill find ways o
in ima e exp ession, o example by using addi ional
eflec i e ags.
19
Apa om c ea ing new pos s, cu a ion on Tumbl is
acili a ed by i s ‘ eblogging’ ea u e. Reblogging allows
use s o epos con en om someone else, whe he o no
accompanied by addi ional commen a y. I o e s an easy
way o pos con en o one’s Tumbl page, wi h he abili y
o e ame he con en s wi h commen a y. Addi ionally,
eblogging has a communi y-building e ec , ende ing
Tumbl “a collabo a i ely p oduced ep esen a ional
space.”
20
Con a y o p ofile-based social media pla -
o ms such as Facebook, Tumbl is pa icula ly a o -
able o anonymous o pseudonymous p esen a ion and
communica ion, enabling ull c ea i e eedom o e
sel -p esen a ion in use s’blog desc ip ions, blog pages,
pos s,and pos ags.
21
Thus, he a o dances o he pla o m
acili a e coun e cul u es and communi ies ha challenge
hegemonic socie al no ms, like LGBTQIA +communi ies.
Finally, coun e -cu a ion on Tumbl has an explici
a ec i e dimension. As means o he s yliza ion o
communal discou se, bu also in e ms o he con en s o
wha is communica ed, a ec is deeply in e wined wi h
communica i e and aes he ic p ac ices on he pla o m.
Cu a ion hen “is a way in which he a chi e is shaped
10 Ka inTiidenbe g, Na alieAnn Hend y, and C ys al Abidin,Tumbl
(Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2021), 16.
11 Allison McC acken e al., ”You Mus Be New He e: An In oduc ion,”
in A Tumbl Book. Pla o m and Cul u es, ed. Allison McC acken e al.
(Ann A bo : Uni e si y o Michigan P ess, 2020), 2.
12 And e Ca alcan e, “Tumbling in o Quee U opias and Vo exes:
Expe iences o LGBTQ Social Media Use s on Tumbl ,”Jou nal o
Homosexuali y 66, no. 12 (2019): 1715–35, h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/
00918369.2018.1511131.
13 Taina Buche and Anne Helmond, “The A o dances o Social
Media Pla o ms,”in The SAGE Handbook o Social Media, ed. Jean
Bu gess, Alice Ma wick, and Thomas Poell (London: SAGE Publica-
ions, 2018), 236.
14 Louisa Ellen S ein, “Tumbl Fan Aes he ics,”in The Rou ledge
Companion o Media Fandom, ed. Melissa A. Click and Suzanne Sco
(New Yo k: Rou ledge, 2017), 87.
15 Robbe -Jan Ad iaansen, “Social Media and Mul imodal His o ical
Rep esen a ion: Depic ing Auschwi z on Ins ag am,”in Analysing
His o ical Na a i es. On Academic, Popula and Educa ional F amings
o he Pas , ed. S e an Be ge , Nicola B auch, and Ch is Lo enz (New
Yo k: Be ghahn Books, 2021), 199.
16 Tiidenbe g, Hend y, and Abidin, Tumbl , 17.
17 Dinu Gab iel Mun eanu, ”Imp obable Cu a o s: Analysing
Nos algia, Au ho ship and Audience on Tumbl Mic oblogs,”in
Collabo a i e P oduc ion in he C ea i e Indus ies, ed. James G aham
and Alessand o Gandini (London: Uni e si y o Wes mins e P ess,
2017), 148, h ps://doi.o g/10.16997/book4.h.
18 Tiidenbe g, Hend y, and Abidin, Tumbl , 41.
19 Ing id B e and Sa ah Maslen, “S age Whispe ing: Tumbl Hash-
ags Beyond Ca ego iza ion,”Social Media +Socie y 7, no. 3 (2021):
1–14, h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/20563051211032138.
20 Ka in Tiidenbe g and And ew Whelan, “‘No like Tha , No o
Tha , No by Them’: Social Media A o dances o C i ique,”Commu-
nica ion and C i ical/Cul u al S udies 16, no. 2 (2019): 83–102, 91,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/14791420.2019.1624797.
21 Abigail Oakley, “Dis u bing Hegemonic Discou se: Nonbina y
Gende and Sexual O ien a ion Labeling on Tumbl ,”Social
Media +Socie y 2, no. 3 (2016):, h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/
2056305116664217.
Da k Academia 107
a ec i ely and in which a as e communi y is o med.”
22
I
is in his nexus o socie al c i ique and aes he ic cu a ion
whe e da k academia is loca ed.
2 Da k Academia
Da k academia is no a new phenomenon; i led a la gely
unno iced exis ence on Tumbl since a ound 2014,
23
when
da k academia pos s p ima ily consis ed o da k, g ainy
pho os o objec s, such as books, candles, handw i en
le e s, and old pho og aphs ep esen ing bygone scenes o
academic li e, accompanied by lis s o book ecommen-
da ions. I spilled o e o Ins ag am a ound 2017, whe e
use s pos ed s ylized da k academia images o hei daily
li e, aspec s o pain ings, li e a u e, academic li e, and
sha ed sel -c ea ed ‘moodboa ds’ ep esen ing he uni-
e se o da k academia hey c ea ed. Many Ins ag am pos s
also con ain inspi a ional quo es d awn om Tumbl ,
unde lining his pla o m as he sou ce o his in e ne
aes he ic’s de elopmen .
Al hough demog aphics a e di icul o ob ain o a
la gely anonymous online communi y, obse a ions indica e
ha he aes he ic is ca ied gene ally by emale and gende -
quee blogge s in hei la e eens and ea ly wen ies, o en –
bu ce ainlyno exclusi ely–wi h a highe educa ion. While
he lockdowns and online educa ion accele a ed he sp ead
in popula i y o da k academia and he ele ance o i s
lea ning-o ien ed hema ic, i s popula i y had al eady been
on he isesince hesumme o 2019(Figu e1).
And while on Tumbl he popula i y o da k academia
is now declining, i s ou each is p obably bigge han e e
as i has sp ead o e o he pla o ms beyond Tumbl
and Ins ag am, mos no ably he ideo-sha ing pla o m
TikTok. While Ins ag am and Tumbl a e mainly communi y-
o ien ed and se e hose al eady in e es ed in he aes he ic,
TikTok’s ecommenda ion algo i hm is significan ly mo e
likely o make ideos go i al and each new audiences.
24
The
b eak h ough o da k academia on TikTok in ea ly 2020
u ned he aes he ic mains eam and gene a ed significan
media co e age. The impac o lockdowns should no be
unde es ima ed as hey se e ely up u ed social communi-
ca ions, enhanced eelings o loneliness, and ac u ed a
sense o belonging o ci ies and uni e si ies whe e s uden s
s udy.
25
Lockdowns c ea ed o agg a a ed mood fluc ua ions
and di ficul emo ions, which necessi a ed coping s a e-
gies.
26
Fo many, da k academia ca e ed o ha need because
i o e ed dis ac ion, meaning ul o fline and online ac i i ies,
and a sense o pu pose –e en hough i could by no means
eplace in-pe son ela ionships. In lockdown, da k academia
unc ioned as a digi al and idealized eplacemen o
academia, and physical a el es ic ions we e supplan ed
wi h new in ellec ual and his o ical wo lds o explo e: clas-
sical and Roman ic au ho s, music, and in age clo hing.
Social media pos s show image mon ages o sepia- in ed
pho os and ideos o museums, lib a ies, books li by
candleligh , weed blaze s, ox o d shoes, ea he pens
spilling ink on yellowed pape , o en accompanied by ligh
classical music. While di e en pla o m a o dances la gely
de e mine he o m da k academia social media pos s ake,
all pla o ms display he cu a ion o oman icized pas s as a
cen al aspec o he aes he ic.
The ocus on lea ning and sel -edi ica ion is sh ouded
in a edisco e y o ein en ion o Wes e n humanism and
i s li e a y canon, a humanism gene ally associa ed wi h
he in de siècle and o a lesse ex en he in e wa pe iod.
To da k academics, his pe iod ep esen s he heyday o
libe al humanis educa ion in g amma schools and col-
leges ac oss he Wes , and wi h i he gene al accep ance o
lea ning o be a p ocess o in ellec ual sel -edifica ion
(Bildung in Ge man). As a Tumbl blogge explains: “ he
uppe class o his ime pe iod emphasized a libe al edu-
ca ion, whe e La in, he o ic, and classics we e augh –
subjec s ha a e seen as unusual and sligh ly eso e ic,
c ea ing an allu e ha p esen s schooling as no d ea y o
bo ing, bu one ha cul i a es a lea ned pe son ha lea ns
o he sake o joy.”
27
In con as , con empo a y academic
22 Alessand a Mondin, “‘Tumbl Mos ly, G ea Empowe ing Images’:
Blogging, Reblogging and Sc olling Feminis , Quee and BDSM De-
si es,”Jou nal o Gende S udies 26, no. 3 (2017): 282–292, 290, h ps://
doi.o g/10.1080/09589236.2017.1287684.
23 The ea lies e ie able pos agged ‘da k academia’s ems om
2014, bu he specifico igins o he aes he ic a edi ficul o es ablish as
many ea lie umbl s ha e been dele ed. spacesweepe s, “I’m Bo ed o
he P i ileged Whi e Kids’Mu de Club T ope,”Tumbl , Space-
sweepe s (blog), accessed June 13, 2022, h ps://spacesweepe s.
umbl .com/pos /106494227836/im-bo ed-o - he-p i ileged-whi e-
kids-mu de .
24 Ad iaansen, “His o ical Analogies and His o ical Consciousness.
Use -Gene a ed His o y Lessons on TikTok.”
25 Richa d Phillips e al., “S uden Loneliness h ough he Pandemic:
How, Why and Whe e?,”The Geog aphical Jou nal 188, no. 2 (2022):
277–293, h ps://doi.o g/10.1111/geoj.12438.
26 Phoebe E. McKenna-Plumley e al., “Connec ion, Cons ain , and
Coping: A Quali a i e S udy o Expe iences o Loneliness du ing he
COVID-19 Lockdown in he UK,”PLOS ONE 16, no. 10 (Oc obe 13,
2021): e0258344, h ps://doi.o g/10.1371/jou nal.pone.0258344.
27 she-and-a-book, “‘Beau y Is Te o . Wha e e We Call Beau i ul,
We Qui e be o e I .’–Donna Ta , The Sec e His o y,”Tumbl ,Made
o S a ligh (blog), accessed May 25, 2022, h ps://she-and-a-book.
umbl .com/pos /654774273353940992/beau y-is- e o -wha e e -
we-call-beau i ul-we.
108 R.-J. Ad iaansen
cul u e is desc ibed as a capi alis “ a ace,”
28
a“one-size-
fi s-all” ype o educa ion o which da k academia is
diame ically posi ioned as idealized “sel -ca e”and
“sel -imp o emen .”
29
Al hough hey esona e wi h in de siècle cul u al
endencies, he eso e ic, mys e ious, and da k quali ies o
da k academia a e la gely inspi ed by key li e a y and
cinema ic sou ces o inspi a ion. Books such as Donna
Ta ’sThe Sec e His o y (1992) –a book widely
acclaimed o be he “Bible”o he da k academia
aes he ic –,M.L.Rio’sI we We e Villains (2017), and he
mo ie Dead Poe s Socie y (1989) all econs uc his a -
mosphe e wi hin si es o highe lea ning. They na a e
ini ia ions o s uden s in o poe y and he classics, bu
dono ea heclassicsas ep esen a i eso “noble
simplici y and quie g andeu ,”as hep is ineimagina-
ion o Neoclassicism had i , bu wi h a deeply Roman ic
unde one ha sees dea h, mu de , and des uc ion as
jus one s ep away om in ellec ual b illiance. I is no
coincidence ha he opening quo e o his a icle ends
mys e iously wi h “…mu de ?”–i is a di ec e e ence o
Ta ’s no el. Se in a college in New England in he 1980s,
The Sec e His o y bea s e e ence o he da k side o he
e e enceo eli ismand hepu sui o hesublime,asi
ells he s o y o a g oup o uppe -class s uden s who –in
hei pu sui o he sublime –kill a a me du ing a
Dionysian bacchanal. The ‘da k’in da k academia
he e o e no only ela es o he da k sepia, b own, g ey,
and black colo pale e ha cha ac e izes i s aes he ics,
bu also o he ai o mys e y, a is ic i a ionalism,
Roman ic madness, and –as he opening quo e indi-
ca ed –mu de (wi h he ques ion ma k).
3 A ec i e Coun e -Cu a ion
In gene al, Tumbl blogs, Ins ag am and TikTok eeds can
be unde s ood as cu a ed si es whe e use s display wha -
e e hey deem da k academic, whe he in ela ion o
hemsel es o no . This can ange om book and music
ecommenda ions o Roman ic pic u es o neo-Go hic
hallways o clo hing ips and sugges ions on how o
ende you bed oom as da k academic as possible. When
i comes o his o y, da k academia aims o oman icize
h ough mobilizing and communica ing a ec . These pos s
a ely con ey speci ic his o ical knowledge bu aim o ( e)
c ea e wha Hans Ul ich Gumb ech called a S immung o
a mosphe e inspi ed by ha o hei li e a y esou ces,
such as Ta ’sThe Sec e His o y, o o a gene al idea o
da k academia.
30
S immung is a use ul concep when analyzing he
cu a ion o a ec , as i specifies he dimension o a ec
in which people find hemsel es bodily and men ally
simila ly a ec ed p io o he cons i u ion o subjec i i y.
Gene ally, S immung can be ansla ed as mood,
Figu e 1: Weekly numbe o pos s agged
wi h ‘da kacademia’on Tumbl be ween
Janua y 1, 2019 and Ap il 17, 2022.
28 basil oyou do ian, “The Need o ‘School’in You Li e,”Tumbl ,
Blood-Lus (blog), No embe 2021, h ps://basil oyou do ian. umbl .
com/pos /667293068222939136/ he-need-o -school-in-you -li e.
29 iamo e d essedando e educa ed, “Pos Da k Academia,”Tumbl ,
This Is Much Mo e han School (blog), accessed July 5, 2022, h ps://
iamo e d essedando e educa ed. umbl .com/pos /
656695766145024000/pos -da k-academia.
30 Hans Ul ich Gumb ech , “Reading o he S immung? Abou he
On ology o Li e a u e Today,”Bounda y 2 35, no. 3 (2008): 213–221,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1215/01903659-2008-016.
Da k Academia 109

a mosphe e, o a unemen . Since i s ise in philosophical
discou se in he nine een h cen u y, S immung has had a
conno a ion o nos algia o i .
31
Au ho s such as F ied ich
Hölde lin, F ied ich Nie zsche, and Alois Riegl connec ed
S immung o expe iences o uni y, ha mony, and o de
ha was p esumably los in mode ni y and claim ha
S immung-gene a ing a could ha e edemp i e quali ies
o mode ni y h ough i s nos algia. Mos p ominen ly was
he concep used by Ma in Heidegge , who ejec s his
empo al unde s anding o S immung and u ns i in o a
cen al exis en ial ca ego y. Fo him, cons an ly changing
moods and a mosphe es condi ion ou beha io and
eelings on ologically. We canno consciously choose
moods, and moods a e no objec s o consciousness.
32
I is
h ough a S immung ha we find ou sel es in he wo ld –
no in a cogni i e manne , bu as “how i is o one;”mood
is a way o Being.
33
This is impo an because i allowed
Heidegge o mo e beyond he subjec -objec dicho omy o
mode n hough , o a leas o unde s and being as a ealm
p io o such seconda y, heo e ical dis inc ions. The e-
o e, S immung is no nos algic anymo e o Heidegge , as
nos algia implies a cogni i e app op ia ion and objec ifi-
ca ion o he pas . This does no mean ha S immung is
no ela ed o empo ali y, i ce ainly is, bu i connec s o
ou unde s anding o ime exis en ially. Since i is h ough
moods ha we engage wi h he wo ld, moods colo ou
expe ience o ime and ou ela ionships o he pas , p e-
sen , and u u e. While S immung a es s o human his o-
ici y, one’s exis en ial posi ion in ime, i does no imply a
specific his o icis unde s anding o he pas as emo e and
dis anced.
The ele ance o S immung o in e ne aes he ics is
unde lined by he edi o s o he Aes he ics Wiki websi e,
who call an in e ne aes he ic a “collec ion o isual
schema ha c ea es a ‘mood.’”
34
Aes he ics comp ise o “a
collec ion o images, colo s, objec s, music, and w i ings
ha c ea es a specific emo ion, pu pose, and communi y,”
and a e bound by cul u e and pe sonal as e.
35
As a niche
wi hin he b oade amewo k o aes he ics, da k academia
is no di e en .
The a ec i e cu a ion o S immung, e e ed o as
‘a mosphe e,’‘mood,’o ‘ ibes’on Tumbl , is cen al o he
pos s. The e a e di e en ways in which da k academia
aims o e oke mood. A p ime example would be mood-
boa ds. These a e digi al collages ha y o con ey a
gene al eeling o mood ela ed o da k academia o
elemen s o i . I is a isual endi ion o he s yle, se ing,
ashion and cen al ideas he c ea o s a ibu e o he
aes he ic. On Tumbl hey can consis o cu a ed image
collec ions p esen ed in blog pos s, o as single image
collages.
36
Despi e a s ong cohe ence in moodboa d con en s i
would be di icul o claim one speci ic da k academia
‘mood.’In e ms o con en s and exp essi e a mosphe e,
moodboa ds ake posi ions on a spec um, and blu a he
ou ski s wi h o he aes he ics, such as co ageco e, which
idealizes co age li e, Go hicism, o ‘ligh academia,’
which uses ligh e colo pale es, swaps woolen in age
clo hing o linen and goes hea ie on ba oque, e he eal
imagina ion, lowe s, and ligh music. The moods
con eyed a e all unique wi hin his spec um; hey depend
en i ely on he cu a o ial choices made. While some,
emphasize li e a u e, lea ning, and i s accompanying
anquili y wi h he g andeu o Ba oque a , o he s use
e en da ke colo pale es and highligh (neo-)go hic
a chi ec u e and a sense o inquisi i e mys e y. Mo eo e ,
moodboa ds and o he pos s a y pe season, as sp ing,
summe , all, and win e a e ound o ende di e en da k
academia moods.
The bodily e ec s o cu a ing a ec a e a ibu ed
wi h g ea impo ance. One da k academic emphasizes
ha “i ’s no he il e s o he moodboa d ha make a pos
aes he ic a he i ’s he colo s he pe son who made ha
moodboa d p e e s o see he wo ld om and li e in ha
wo ld. […] aes he ics a e in a way he senso y expe ience
o wo ld in he ligh o ou pe cep ions and emo ional
s a e,”
37
an explici e e ence o how S immung on ologi-
cally de e mines ou disposi ions and he eby how we
ela e o he wo ld. The alue o a moodboa d and o da k
academia in gene al hus lies in he esonance i has
wi h how people pe cei e and expe ience he wo ld
31 Hans Ul ich Gumb ech , A mosphe e, Mood, S immung: On a Hid-
den Po en ial o Li e a u e (S an o dUni e si y P ess,2012), 8–9; Da id
Wellbe y, “S immung,”New Fo ma ions, no. 93 (2018): 6–45, h ps://
doi.o g/10.3898/NEWF:93.02.2017.
32 O o F ied ich Bollnow, Das Wesen de S immungen, Sch i en Bd. 1
(Wü zbu g: Königshausen & Neumann, 2009); Te esa B ennan, The
T ansmission o A ec (I haca: Co nell Uni e si y P ess, 2004), 1, 68.
33 Jan Slaby, “Mo e han a Feeling: A ec as Radical Si ua edness,”
Midwes S udies in Philosophy 41, no. 1 (2017): 7–26, h ps://doi.o g/10.
1111/misp.12076.
34 “FAQ,”Aes he ics Wiki, accessed May 25, 2022, h ps://aes he ics.
andom.com/wiki/Aes he ics_Wiki:FAQ.
35 “FAQ.”
36 a okadoodoo, “Da k Academia Moodboa d,”Tumbl ,A okado
(blog),accessedMay 25, 2022,h ps://a okadoodoo. umbl .com/pos /
662846174148116480/da k-academia-moodboa d.
37 heclassicalmind, “As Much as I’d like o Belie e Tha Aes he ics
A e …,”Tumbl ,The Classical Mind (blog), accessed May 25, 2022,
h ps:// heclassicalmind. umbl .com/pos /655242485799485440/as-
much-as-id-like- o-belie e- ha -aes he ics-a e.
110 R.-J. Ad iaansen
phenomenologically. This is he esonance o he S im-
mung ha moodboa ds o any o he cu a ed social media
pos cap u e and in which he eade , iewe , o c ea o
find hemsel es.
To many, da k academia p o ides an en i onmen , an
a mosphe e, sui able o eading, lea ning, w i ing, and
hinking. Finding he igh spo o c ea ing one using
in age home deco a ions is pa o his, jus like inding
he igh music playlis s. One Tumbl blogge s esses ha
oman iciza ion only wo ks when hese bodily e ec s a e
aken in o accoun . Jus doing da k academic hings will
no su ice and may –we could add –become ki sch i
done o i s own sake. Ra he , oman iciza ion “is abou
being p esen in any ac ions we ake. I is abou mind-
ulness. I is a o m o medi a ion o hose who do no like
medi a ing. Being in he body a he han in he mind. As
Roman ic and pleasing as images and ideas a e, i eally is
h ough he body ha we expe ience he eeling o
oman icism.”
38
This unde s anding o he in olun a y o desi ed
phenomenological e ec s o oman iciza ion also impac s
his o ical unde s anding. In i s a ec i e con ex , he pas
does no appea his o icized as an objec o knowledge, bu
is a he unde s ood o ha e p esence as sedimen s o
ime ha ha e cons i u ed he p esen , as cul u al and
in ellec ual adi ions ha acili a e he aes he ic. Roman-
iciza ion, one da k academic con ends, is “all abou
glo i ying li le ac s o e e y hing ha exis s. looking a he
wo ld in a i id manne o celeb a ing he exo icism o
soli ude and he aes he icism o e e y possible hing in he
wo ld. Celeb a ing a and ealizing ha e e y hing you do
o see is a pa o he his o y being made.”
39
Roman ici-
za ion is unde s ood as an aes he ic mode o iewing he
wo ld on ologically, a he han in e ms o ep esen a ion,
hence i has li le o do wi h a nos algic ‘escapism’ om
con empo a y issues in o an imagined idealized pas , bu
a he wi h sensing a meaning ul a ec i e cohe ence in
li e, in pas , p esen and u u e.
In imes o lockdown, he oman iciza ion o eading,
w i ing, c ea ing a , soli ude, and mo ning walks allowed
da k academics o cope wi h soli ude, bu –specifically
whe e i comes o online educa ion – he necessi y o
oman icize as a coping mechanism was b oadly
ecognized. As one Tumbl blogge no es: “I’m in a e ibly
u gen need o oman icize my li e because ha ’s how I ge
h ough i . Online classes migh kill me bu a leas I can
die in s yle.”
40
The ecogni ion ha he e is a misma ch
be ween online educa ion and he gene al mood and
p inciples o da k academia ha no sugges ions o making
handw i en no es, sipping on Ea l G ey ea du ing class, o
“hea ing he hy hm in he keys on you keyboa d as you
ype away”
41
can compensa e –bols e ed he idealiza ion
and oman iciza ion o p e-lockdown li e, be i campus li e,
lib a y isi s, o social in e ac ions.
In coun e -cu a o ial e ms, he Roman ic and a ec i e
dimensions o da k academia a e no only coping mecha-
nisms, bu also challenge hegemonic no ms and alues.
We ha e seen how he aes he ic suppo s a passion o
lea ning and cul u e ha da k academics know is looked
down upon as ‘old- ashioned’by hei pee s.
42
Beyond
ha , da k academia is en angled wi h Tumbl ’s quee
communi y. Da k academia is pa icula ly ele an om a
quee pe spec i e o i s his o ical associa ions wi h sec e
quee oman ics a gende -di ided boa ding schools and
homoe o icism in sou ces o li e a y inspi a ion such as
Osca Wilde, bu also because he and ogynous quali ies
and possibili ies o he ashion in ol ed allow explo a ion
and expe imen a ion wi h a plu ali y o gende configu a-
ions. Fo some, he engagemen wi h li e a u e and his o y
opened hei eyes o he “comple e e asu e o quee ness”
om “ he e sion o his o y we a e augh oday,”
43
and
quo es om classics, anging om Sappho o I We We e
Villains ha highligh quee and homoe o ic dimensions
a e widely sha ed on he pla o m. Highligh ing quee ness
in da k academia pos s can be seen as a coun e ac o his
e asu e. This coun e -cu a o ial e ec is no explici
discu si e p ac ice ha aims o supplan exis ing his o ical
me ana a i es bu le e ages he aes he ic dimension o
da k academia by eading a homoe o ic o quee mood ha
is deemed inhe en o da k academia in o a plu ali y o
38 academieboheme, “Explo e Da k Academia,”Tumbl (blog),
Oc obe 2, 2020, h ps://academieboheme. umbl .com/pos /63082174
2381842432/i-ha e- ound-ou -how- o- oman icize-li e.
39 medusabu mode n, “I Don’ Think Many People Realise Tha
‘Roman icism’…,”Tumbl ,Si inginsilence (blog), Ma ch 2021,
h ps://medusabu mode n. umbl .com/pos /646178243435741184/i-
don - hink-many-people- ealise.
40 wa ch-me-disappea -in o- hesun, “Online Classes +Da k
Academia,”Tumbl , Da k Academia (blog), 4 June 2021, h ps://
wa ch-me-disappea -in o- hesun. umbl .com/pos /
653039800303108096/online-classes-da k-academia.
41 mal oycollins, “Da k Academia as Online Schooling,”Tumbl ,
Mal oycollins (blog), Decembe 12, 2020, h ps://mal oycollins. umbl .
com/pos /637332247117201408/da k-academia-as-online-schooling-
so- he es-a- on.
42 cap ainma els udies, “DA: A Sho Essay,”Tumbl ,S udybl
(blog), Feb ua y 29, 2020, h ps://cap ainma els udies. umbl .com/
pos /611331389200154624/da-a-sho -essay.
43 so ly-ado e, “The Mo e I Read abou Poe s, Au ho s and A is s,”
blog,Tumbl (blog), Janua y 8, 2020, h ps://so ly-ado e. umbl .com/
pos /190142752358/ he-mo e-i- ead-abou -poe s-au ho s-and-a is s.
Da k Academia 111
li e a y and his o ical sou ces. As one da k academic pu s
i : “[I] he book you’ e eading doesn’ al eady ha e ho-
moe o ic sub ex , imagined is fine.”
44
Da k academia
insc ibes quee ness in o he cul u al logic o humanism in
a way ha does no equi e a ull in e sec ional e isionis
eading o Wes e n his o y, o example one ha iden ifies
s uc u al –‘pa ia chal’–hegemony o be he oo cause
o inequali y and inequi y.
While quee da k academia helps highligh he
‘coun e ’in i s coun e -cu a o ialp ac ices,i doesso
wi hin a cul u al con ex ha assumes a sha ed canon-
ical and a ec i e his o y. No es ic ed by his o icis
demands o his o ical accu acy, a ec i e cu a ion
indeed o e s he possibili ies o such insc ip ion o
gende noncon o mism, albei a ge ing only he in-
c owd.
4 Rep esen a ional C i ique and
A ec i e Coun e -Cu a ion
None heless, da k academia has had i s ai sha e o c i i-
cism, gene ally pe aining o cu a o ial choices made
wi hin he communi y. Howe e , hese discussions ha dly
ouch he a ec i e dimension o da k academia, which is
alued as i s co e cha ac e is ic by i s p oponen s: “da k
academia as an aes he ic is comple ely okay,”one Tumbl
use w i es, “wea ing weed, ligh ing old candles in you
oom, picking blood ed oses, ca ying a ound pounds o
books, hese a e ha mless.”
45
While he e is gene al
ag eemen on he ha mlessness o he a ec i e dimension
o he aes he ic, c i iques –bo h in e nal and ex e nal –
unde s and cu a ed pos s in e ms o ep esen a ion.
Con a y o a ec i e immediacy whe e he pas can be seen
o ha e ‘p esence,’ ep esen a ion assumes an objec ified
and dis anced unde s anding o he pas wi hin he
amewo k o his o y.
A co e c i icism conce ns he unde ep esen a ion o
people o colo and women in da k academia. “Da k
Academia Has A ‘Whi e’P oblem,” he online s uden
magazine S udy B eaks headlined. Au ho Emily Jewe
iden ifies da k academia o be “Eu ocen ic and whi e-
washed”due o he i ual absence o people o colo in
moodboa ds and in he li e a u e and mo ies i is inspi ed
by. A he same ime Jewe app ecia es he a ec i e
dimension o da k academia as “beau i ul and imeless.”
46
Bu he c i icism o he lack o di e si y equi es a disen-
gaged, cogni i e unde s anding o he aes he ic ha
neglec s a ec i e immediacy as i ea s da k academiaas a
con aine o a a ie y o his o ical and aes he ic ep esen-
a ions. The ques ion hus becomes one o his o ical
ep esen a ion, bu one which needs o ep esen bo h he
pas , as well as oday’s acial and e hnic di e si y. Jewe
ecognizes ha his conflic s wi h his o ical accu acy bu
con ends ha accu acy “doesn’ supe sede he necessi y o
di e si y and equi y.”
47
While da k academia can be said o be coun e cul-
u al by na u e, o i s quee inclusi i y and i s un imely
hinge o a and lea ning, calling ou ha i p aises a
canon o hegemonic Wes e n, male-domina ed discou se
esul ed in de ensi e a i udes bu also opened up op-
po uni ies o he di e si ica ion o he aes he ic. Ye , he
sugges ion o “acknowledge he buildings, landscapes,
au ho s, poe s, che s/cooks, e c., o o he cul u es, and
s op ac ing like h ee speci ic mo ies and books w i en by
whi e people and consis ing o only whi e people, is he
epi ome o da k academia,”
48
equi ed a change in cu a-
o ial p ac ices ha ne e ully ma e ialized. While e y
ocal, c i ics we e no able o undamen ally change
cu a o ial p ac ices wi hin da k academia, o o ex end i s
coun e -cu a o ial ou look o challenge he pe ime e s o
he canon o Wes e n high cul u e i elies upon. This is
demons a ed by he disc epancy in popula i y o he
mos impo an e isionis ag ‘poc da k academia,’wi h
‘poc’ e e ing o people o colo , which had 836 ollowe s
as o June 14, 2022 e sus 158,000 ollowe s o he ag
‘da k academia.’
None heless, c i icism o da k academia-as-
ep esen a ion highligh s an impo an aspec o he
ela ionship be ween coun e -cu a ion and a ec : when
challenging cu a o ial p ac ices in da k academia, c i ics
seek al e na i e ep esen a ional con en s bu y o
main ain he o e all aes he ic ‘ eel’and a ec i e impac o
a oid ull aliena ion om he aes he ic’s co e. Calls o
44 boleynslag, “Reasons o Read Da k Academia Book,”blog,
Tumbl (blog), June 9, 2020, h ps://boleynslag. umbl .com/pos /
620406463512346624/i - he-book-you e- eading-doesn -al eady-
ha e.
45 cubi umm-eamuss, “Cubi um Eamus?,”Tumbl , accessed May 25,
2022, h ps://cubi umm-eamuss. umbl .com/pos /183726640595/i-
always-see- hose-pos s-saying- ha -da k-academia.
46 Emily Jewe , “Da k Academia Has a ‘Whi e’P oblem,”S udy
B eaks, Janua y 18, 2021, h ps://s udyb eaks.com/cul u e/ eads/
da k-academia-di e si y/.
47 Jewe , “Da k Academia Has a ‘Whi e’P oblem.”
48 booksa andpoe yy, “I’ e Had People Say How They Don See
Any hing W ong wi h Liking he Eu ocen ic Da k Academia
Aes he ic,”Tumbl ,Ge ie & Jo (blog), Ap il 30, 2021, h ps://
booksa andpoe yy. umbl .com/pos /649858706224316416/i e-had-
people-say-how- hey-don -see-any hing.
112 R.-J. Ad iaansen
be e ep esen a ion mainly a gue o a di e si ica ion o
he sou ces on which da k academia elies: less ci cula ion
o books and mo ies like The Sec e His o y and Dead Poe ’s
Socie y ha unde ep esen women and people o colo o
pu hem in a subo dina e posi ion and mo e ci cula ion o
book lis s ha o e non-Wes e n o non-whi e al e na i es
ha hema ically fi he aes he ic.
49
The inclusion o people
o colo in moodboa ds gene ally means including hem in
fi ing a i e wi hin he con ex o amilia da k academia
images o shel es wi h old books, cups o co ee wi h
no ebooks, a galle ies, and neoclassical a chi ec u e and
s a ues.
50
‘Fo Black da k academics, he aes he ic’s
nos algic appeal is also a desi e o see onesel eflec ed in
his o ic na a i es and in ellec ual canons,’one ad oca e
o he di e sifica ion o da k academia no ed.
51
The cu a-
o ial e o o find and aes he ically ma ch hese images in
moodboa ds and Tumbl pos s exemplifies exac ly his
a emp o he insc ip ion o people o colo in o he isual
language o da k academia, and he eby indi ec ly in o he
Wes e n in ellec ual canon. Cu a ion is made easie o he
black da k academic communi y by using he i-
sual a chi e o specifically Ame ican black in ellec ual
his o y and academic educa ion.
52
A he same ime, he
cu a o ial possibili ies a e limi ed by Tumbl ’s pla o m
cons ain s. Tumbl is ailo ed o cu a ion, bu no so
much o he c ea ion o o iginal con en . Images, ideos,
audio –any audio isual con en has o be c ea ed else-
whe e and hen uploaded o he pla o m o be included in
a pos ; a cumbe some p ocedu e which e ec i ely makes
cu a ion an e o o ma ching di e se eadily a ailable
con en aes he ically. A pla o m like TikTok, on he con-
a y, acili a es ideo c ea ion and edi ing wi hin i s app,
which allows c ea o s o insc ibe hei own bodies in a da k
academia ideo, a s a egy which popula TikToke s, like
he black Muslim c ea o cosy ae ie,
53
ha e mas e ed wi h
g ea success. None heless, as an e ec o i s emphasis on
a ec , hese a emp s o di e si y da k academia do suc-
ceed in insc ibing people o colo a ec i ely in he cul u al
and in ellec ual canon o he Wes bu do also emain
wi hin i s aes he ic and no ma i e bounda ies.
Mo e p ac ically challenging is he adap a ion o da k
academia in he global sou h. This e o mo es beyond he
insc ip ion o disen anchised bodies in o he Wes e n
canon, as i asks o he ansposi ion o a ec i e S immung
o da k academia o en i ely di e en cul u es ha did
no inhe i a canon o Wes e n humanism o ap in o o o
whom a his o y o colonial opp ession makes i undesi -
able o do so. Exempla y is he case o Indian o desi da k
academia. In he a emp o ansla e da k academia o he
Indian con ex , i is p ima ily he a ec i e elemen ha
emains simila . Tumbl blogge s emphasize simila
ac i i ies wi h ela able a ec i e impac : d inking co ee
o chai; “del ing you sel in o Sansk i and ying o lea n
all you can;”“Lis ening o classical music ….Tago e
p e e[ a]bly ….;”
54
“Reading poems and s o ies o Rumi,
Ha ez, Iqbal, Ghani khan and Man o;”
55
“ eading indoo s
by he window when i ’s aining;”o “ eading by candle
o flashligh du ing blackou s.”
56
I is he small hings in
li e, ouches,sounds,emo ions,pauses,and as es ha
a e emphasized o be he cen al co e o da k academia,
and hese a e deemed o be compa able ega dless
cul u al di e ences:
You mo he b aiding you hai be o e you sleep, ge ing up
ea ly o s udy, Ruskin [B]ond and o he au ho s lined up on
you desk, laughing and c ying wi h you iends abou boa ds,
making memo ies on he way o you ui ions, he swea on
you shi on he an ide back om school, book s o e hidden
in small alleys, chess, ca om, chai b eaks, being ed badaam
be o e e e y exam, his is desi academia.
57
Bu in e ms o isual depic ion and ep esen a ional con-
en p oblems a ise. Pa ly gi en by he as a chi ec u al
49 compila ionofle e s, “Classic No els om POC Au ho s,”Tumbl ,
To Li e Fo e e . (blog), July 12, 2020, h ps://compila ionofle e s.
umbl .com/pos /623443689125150720/classic-no els- om-poc-
au ho s; woe mwoode, “Da k Academia W i en by Au ho s o Colou ,”
Tumbl ,Will/Miguel (blog), Sep embe 21, 2021, h ps://woe mwoode.
umbl .com/pos /662162702079246336/da k-academia-w i en-by-
au ho s-o -colou .
50 localbookshop, “Lucky S a s,”Tumbl ,Lucky S a s (blog),
Oc obe 29, 2020, h ps://localbookshop. umbl .com/pos /633339-
842732916736.
51 Mel Monie , “Too Da k o Da k Academia?,”Pos 45 (blog), Ma ch
15, 2022, h ps://pos 45.o g/2022/03/ oo-da k- o -da k-academia/.
52 bl ksup eme, “Some Blackademia,”Tumbl , T e’Vion (blog),
No embe 30, 2021, h ps://bl ksup eme. umbl .com/pos /669326178-
538176512/some-blackademia.
53 cosy ae ie, “Asiya ,”TikTok, accessed June 15, 2022,
h ps://www. ik ok.com/@cosy ae ie.
54 academiaen husias , “Indian Da k Academia,’Tumbl , Li e a-
u e// Co ee//Desi e o Lea n (blog), No embe 28, 2020, h ps://
academiaen husias . umbl .com/pos /636003520486768640/indian-
da k-academia.
55 sleeplesspo ionee , “Sou h Asian Da k Academia,”Tumbl ,July7,
2020, h ps://sleeplesspo ionee . umbl .com/pos /6229758442095902-
72/sou h-asian-da k-academia- eading-poems-and.
56 munchee-academic, “S i Lankan Da k Academia,”Tumbl ,S i
Lankan Academia (blog), Sep embe 22, 2020, h ps://munchee-
academic. umbl .com/pos /629956729115951104/s i-lankan-da k-
academia.
57 ephime alijo, “The Real Desi Academia,”Tumbl , My House o
S one, you I y G ows (blog), Ma ch 14, 2021, h ps://ephime alijo.
umbl .com/pos /645656057174228992/ he- eal-desi-academia-you -
mo he -b aiding-you .
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