Author discusses new book and pedagogy of ‘unwellness’ in will, WGSS speaker series kickoff

Author Mimi Khúc discussed her work on “unwellness” and meritocracy with University of Richmond students as she kicked off the 2025 spring semester’s “will + WGSS Speaker Series” on Feb. 17.

In a talk entitled “Meritocracy, Unwellness, and the University,” the Brown Alley Room quickly filled up with over 50 attendees as Khúc discussed her newest book, “Dear Elia: Letters from the Asian American Abyss.”

In a discussion moderated by Nathan Snaza, humanities center director and English professor, the conversation revolved around topics referenced in her book, including institutional failures in addressing mental health concerns and the role of meritocracy in reinforcing student and faculty unwellness. Throughout the discussion, Khúc was invited to read various sections of her book that touched on these topics.

“One of the things that's really interesting to me in the book is the way Khúc takes terms from university discourse and knits them into something much more,” Snaza said. 

In the hour-long discussion, Khúc drew connections between student experiences in higher education post COVID-19 and Asian American family dynamics, pinpointing the notion of compulsory gratitude, which she describes as the pressure to express thankfulness. 

Khúc emphasized the similarities between the notion of compulsory gratitude in shaping the Asian immigrant narrative and its use in academic institutions to shape student behavior. To tackle this, Khúc reiterated the value of negotiations to find one's identity amidst the constraints of both familial and institutional expectations.

“This is how you survive;” Khúc said, “This is how you keep relationships, how you figure out the limitations around who you can be.”

Another concept discussed was slowness in academics. Khúc addressed the importance of presence in creating a more enriching educational environment. Drawing from her experience as a professor, she talked about the value of being present for students’ needs and working collaboratively. 

After the moderated discussion, attendees took advantage of the Q&A session, asking Khúc a range of questions based on their lived experiences.

Senior Jess Laforet asked for tips on navigating away from a culture of “competitive exhaustion,” a term coined by Khúc herself, and moving toward addressing unwellness more productively.

“I feel like here we have a big culture of competitive suffering,” Laforet said. “The unwellness Olympics, where it's like, people are flexing on each other for being so beyond miserable.” 

Drawing from her experiences in Georgetown, Khúc reaffirmed that the cycle of “competitive exhaustion” is prevalent in academic settings, adding that social media reinforces this cycle by further surrounding oneself with peers who are similarly overextending themselves. 

“It feels very like self-flagellation, right?” Khúc said. “In some ways, you are doing it to each other, but it's not your fault… that's why it's really hard to opt out.” 

Khúc continued by emphasizing the need for a collective shift away from glamorizing overworking and advocating for a space where people can acknowledge their struggles instead.

Senior Alan Declerck asked about navigating the provision of accommodations when conflicting needs are presented. 

“What does it mean when what one person needs is exactly what the other person doesn't need?” Declerk said.

In response, Khúc reemphasized the importance of collective responsibility in addressing diverse student needs, a concept she called ‘access friction’. Instead of viewing accommodations as transactions and formal requests, she sees them as an ongoing, shared effort. Khúc argued that ‘access friction’ should be accepted as part of creating more accessible spaces and encouraged more flexible approaches to meeting diverse needs.

Contact multimedia director Gareth Woo at Gareth.Woo@richmond.edu