Hugo Schwyzer

Hugo Benedict Schwyzer (born May 22, 1967) is an American author and blogger, and former gender studies instructor at Pasadena City College.

Biography

Schwyzer has written for such publications as Jezebel^[1][2] and The Atlantic.^[3][4] Schwyzer co-authored Beauty, Disrupted: A Memoir, a biography of supermodel Carré Otis that was published in October 2011 by HarperCollins,^[5] and has been a contributor to The Good Men Project.^[6][7] Schwyzer was known for teaching courses in pornography, including bringing adult film star James Deen to speak to his students;^[8] Schwyzer later abandoned the class because of public outrage.^[9]

Schwyzer has been described as a male feminist.^[10] However, during an August 2013 Twitter "meltdown," Schwyzer admitted that he built his career in teaching women's studies and as a feminist author both by misrepresenting his academic credentials and by sleeping with influential editors and academics. He confessed he had used "sex, charm, and whiteness" to scam his way into positions of influence..^[11]

Schwyzer is the older brother of author and professor in English Philip Schwyzer. His father Hubert Schwyzer was a professor in philosophy who was brought to England as a child when his parents fled Austria after the Anschluss; the elder Schwyzer later emigrated to California.^[12]

In the aftermath of his well-publicized 2013 breakdown, Schwyzer was forced to resign from his teaching position and declared himself to be on hiatus from writing and public speaking.^[13] He was profiled in a Los Angeles Magazine feature story in April 2014, in which he was reported to be working in a "get-well job" as a part-time file clerk for an accountant in Los Angeles. ^[14]

Academic history

Schwyzer studied history at University of California, Berkeley, specializing in medieval history.^[15] He has indicated that he developed a passion for this subject after seeing Derek Jacobi perform Shakespeare's Richard II.^[15]

Schwyzer has stated that his interest in feminism and gender studies stems from taking classes in Women's Studies as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley..^[15] Schwyzer has subsequently clarified that he took only two classes.^[16]

He applied to Berkeley for graduate school but was rejected, going on to study at UCLA.^[15] Schwyzer has stated that his interest in feminism and gender studies stems from his time at UCLA. He has said that his advisers dissuaded from pursuing his academic interest in those subjects and was instead encouraged to focus upon medieval church history. His three areas of study at graduate level were;

• Medieval English philosophy - William of Ockham & Duns Scotus
• Early Irish monasticism, and the Collectio Canonum Hibernensis.
• Early modern economic development, especially proto-industrialization

Schwyzer's recorded academic publications are;

• Paper: Northern bishops and the Anglo-Scottish War in the reign of Edward II Schwyzer, Hugo Benedict. (1999) - In: Thirteenth Century England 7 p. 243-254^[17][18]
• Thesis:"Arms and the Bishop: The Anglo-Scottish War and the Northern Episcopate, 1296-1357".,^[19][20] addressing the subject areas of Scottish History: War of Independence, 1285-1371, English Bishops from Durham and York and British Military History 1066-1485.^[21]

Schwyzer joined the Pasadena City College faculty as an adjunct instructor in 1993, and was hired to a tenure-track position in 1994. He resigned as a faculty member in October 2013.^[22]

Controversies

Schwyzer became the subject of controversy when he admitted to sleeping with his female students, having sex with men and women,^[23] and ongoing problems with substance addiction including attempting to kill himself and his ex-girlfriend while under the influence of narcotics in 1998.^[24][25] In addition to those actions, Schwyzer has been criticized over claims that his narratives concerning women use paternalistic and fetishistic language that is inimical to feminism.

On 30 July 2013, Schwyzer announced on his official website he was quitting the Internet,^[26] writing that he needed a hiatus to prioritize his mental health and his relationship with his wife and children.^[25] The following day, explicit sexts between Schwyzer and a female admirer, as well as screenshots from a video he sent her, appeared online.^[27] On 9 August 2013, Schwyzer stated on Twitter that he had been involved in the abuse of women of color, and was complicit in racism, tweeting "So to the many people I hurt I am sorry. To the women of color I trashed in 2008, I am so sorry".^[28][29] Schwyzer's admission was linked directly to the creation of the internet campaign and Twitter Hashtag "#SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen", started by Mikki Kendall.^[29][30] Following his admission and the online response, feminist websites that had promoted Schwyzer, such as Feministe, Jezebel and Pandagon distanced themselves from Schwyzer. The reaction and debate moved from Twitter to global media.^[31][32][33] The resulting debate on #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen was described by feminist Jill Filipovic as "difficult, awkward, and painful"^[34] reading. Others commented that the debate "..showed women of all colors, from all over, voicing their frustrations with the condescension, erasure and racism they’ve experienced at the hands of feminism".^[33] Schwyzer expressed the view that “[t]his whole #solidarityisforwhitewomen thing is an abusive cudgel to be used against a lot of people who are really working at inclusivity”.^[35]

On 5 September 2013, Schwyzer announced on his website that, contrary to his earlier denials, he had indeed had affairs with some of his students at Pasadena City College over the past five years and this fact had been conveyed to the administration.^[36] The number of students was unclear; in his post he mentioned three, while other sources reported the true number might be in the hundreds. In the media Schwyzer stated “Almost all of the worst allegations about me made by my critics turned out to be true,”^[37] In response, the college announced that it was launching an investigation of Schwyzer which could lead to his termination.^[38] In the media, Schwyzer indicated that he would resign and leave quietly if the college agreed to him being retired on disability grounds and allowed to remain on salary until 31 Dec 2013, with disability retirement commencing on 1 January 2014.^{[37] [39][40]} As of 8 October 2013 it was reported that Schwyzer had resigned and the college investigation has been closed.^[41][42]

On 30 September 2013, writing under the heading "Picking up a felony DUI",^[43] Schwyzer announced that he had been involved in a car crash, causing injury to a 25-year-old woman. The incident occurred on Friday 27 September 2013 near San Juan Bautista, California. He stated he had been driving whilst at least 3 times over the maximum dosage of the drug Clonazepam - Klonopin, had apologized to the injured woman before she was airlifted to hospital, and had also made a full confession to law enforcement. Schwyzer also stated "I am a danger to myself and others and mitigating that danger is vital".^[44] He was charged with felony DUI while causing injury and released from San Benito County Jail on bail of $100,000.^[43]

A court date of 5 November 2013 was given.^[44] Schwyzer was reported to be in "...an extended treatment program in Malibu, California, focusing on mental illness and chemical dependency."^[45]

An April 2014 story in Los Angeles Magazine reported that while under psychiatric treatment in his hometown of Carmel in August 2013, Schwyzer became involved with a 22-year-old woman he met in hospital. According to journalist Mona Gable, the then-46-year-old Schwyzer taught the young woman how to self-mutilate using cigarettes, a practice he stated he had engaged in since his teens.^[46]

References

External links

• Official website