"Independent scholar."

The category of "independent scholar" is very interesting

Even with scholars who get tenure-track positions, there's a strong status bent, where scholars at the "best" institutions get inordinate attention and influence, even when they phone it in or cease to really do their jobs.

So, that's one major strike against the institutionally unattached.

But, that said, with less and less tenure-track jobs, there's less people to do the work at journals etc., so apart from the 'army of the hopeful' trying to pump out articles etc. and claw their way out of precarious positions, it's plausible that there's more space for independent scholars than ever before.

Additionally, as there's fewer tenure-track positions, people within the system are more hesitant than ever to question the people who *do* get those jobs, so it's more likely that someone who's institutionally unattached and who doesn't plan to be can do something more innovative and can cut more across-the-grain of what's happening in a field, not to mention give needed pushback to elite scholars at the "best" institutions, especially the ones who are becoming professionally unmoored and more and more visibly erratic.

That is, they can say the unsayable that everyone actually really wants said.

So, there's a weird situation developing, where the traditional locus of professional authority is getting more and more set up to be more and more likely to be delegitimated in really uncomfortable ways.

Just thoughts.