I am a newcomer to this list, a non Africanist (North American, western and
environmental with comparative interests) and I found myself nodding
along and commiserating with the complaints about the job situation.
This is a refrain throughout the profession--indeed throughout the
Humanities and Social Sciences--and I am in complete sympathy with the
predicament of young scholars who can not "land" safely. I was one
myself only a very few years ago.
Then I came across the analysis of the # of jobs available in African
history this year. I couldn't believe my eyes. More than 40 jobs at all
ranks!!! That is more jobs than I've seen in my two primary areas
combined over the past five years! It made me wish I'd become an
Africanist instead of a North Americanist.
My own story is quite comical (and I hope instructive). I received 116
rejection letters before I ever heard from anybody even for a conference
interview. Admittedly many of these jobs were a stretch, but it was more
than two years before I ever got even a perfunctory look. I had to
change fields (to Public history) to get my first TT job, and by the time I
finally got a job teaching environmental and Western American history, I
was already editor of the lead journal in my field! To this day, I can
say that I have published as many university press books as I have had
on-campus interviews!
This not meant to be depressing. I hope it is a useful balance; people
can survive the "limbo" stage of career if they possess two traits:
perserverance to await opportunity and the mobility to follow it when it
arises. Nonetheless, we all know people who have not been able to
make it--most of whose talents would be greatly beneficial to their fields.
It is quite apparent to me that luck--the "residue of design" (thanks
Branch Rickey) plays an enormous part in landing safely. Nor is the
situation of a person who has been traveling from one-year to one-year
post an indicator of that person's ability, talent, or accomplishment.
To me, it means that their number has simply not yet come up.
So, those of you in limbo, don't despair yet. With 40 jobs a year,
the chances are good that something you'll want to keep will arise
soon.