Hugo Schwyzer

Hugo Schwyzer
Born (1967-05-22) May 22, 1967
Santa Barbara, California, United States
Residence Los Angeles
Alma mater University of California, Berkeley
UCLA
Occupation College professor, blogger, author, speaker
Website hugoschwyzer.weebly.com

Hugo Benedict Schwyzer (born May 22, 1967) is an American author and speaker and a former instructor of history and gender studies.

Family background

Hugo Schwyzer was born in Santa Barbara, California, to Hubert Schwyzer (1935-2006) and Alison Schwyzer. Both parents were professors of philosophy: Hubert taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Alison, at Monterey Peninsula College.[1] His younger brother, Philip, also pursued an academic career and is now Professor of Renaissance Literature at the University of Exeter, England. Hugo himself was an instructor of history and gender studies at Pasadena City College for nearly twenty years.

Schwyzer's parents divorced when he was young. He and his brother were then raised by his mother in Carmel, California.[1] However, Schwyzer maintained a profound connection to his father, who was taken to England as a child when his parents fled Austria after the Anschluss, and later emigrated to California.[2]

Academic career

Schwyzer studied history at University of California, Berkeley, specializing in medieval history.[3] He developed a passion for this subject after seeing Derek Jacobi perform Shakespeare's Richard II.[3] He attended graduate school at UCLA and was awarded his PhD in 1999.

His doctoral dissertation was entitled "Arms and the Bishop: The Anglo-Scottish War and the Northern Episcopate, 1296-1357", and dealt with the military role of the Bishops of Durham and the Archbishops of York during the Wars of Scottish Independence.[4] He published a related book chapter, "Northern bishops and the Anglo-Scottish War in the reign of Edward II", in Thirteenth Century England 7 (1999).[5][6]

His three areas of study at graduate level were:

Schwyzer joined the Pasadena City College faculty as an adjunct instructor in 1993, and was then soon hired to a tenure-track position in 1994. Over the course of the following two decades, he taught various history and gender studies courses at PCC, as well as co-taught an interdisciplinary humanities course alongside English and psychology faculty members. After a 20 year career, he was forced to resign in October 2013 due to personal issues and public controversies.[7]

In February 2013, Schwyzer invited adult film actor James Deen to return to his alma mater, Pasadena City College,[8] to speak to students about his career. The appearance, initially open to the public, was restricted by college administrators due to "public safety concerns" over "protesters".[9] Deen was restricted to speaking to the students of Pasadena City College's “Navigating Pornography” class.[8]

Other activities

Schwyzer was a prolific writer and wrote on topics both public and deeply personal, stemming from his own curiosities as well as the inquisitiveness of others. He has written for such publications as Jezebel[10][11] and The Atlantic,[12][13] was a contributor to The Good Men Project,[14][15] and co-authored Beauty, Disrupted: A Memoir, a biography of supermodel Carré Otis published in October 2011 by HarperCollins.[16]

Controversies

Schwyzer became the subject of controversy when he voluntarily disclosed to school administration and the general public his many affairs with his young female college students.[17] In several blogposts and interviews, Schwyzer further admitted to an ongoing problem with alcohol and drug abuse, a decades-long struggle with borderline personality disorder and bipolar depression, and a violent murder-suicide attempt with his ex-girlfriend while both were under the influence of narcotics in the summer of 1998.[18][19]

In September 2013, the college announced that it was launching an investigation of Schwyzer that could lead to his termination.[20] In the media, Schwyzer indicated that he would resign and leave quietly if the college allowed him to remain on salary until the end of the year, at which time health benefits and disability retirement would have commenced. After employing him for nearly 20 years, the college denied this request. On October 8, 2013, less than 3 months prior to the vesting of his benefits, and while he was undergoing mental health treatment, Schwyzer resigned and the college investigation closed.[21][22]

A week earlier, writing under the heading "Picking up a felony DUI",[23] 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. Schwyzer apologized to the injured woman before she was airlifted to hospital, made a full confession to law enforcement, and also stated "I am a danger to myself and others and mitigating that danger is vital."[24] He was then charged with felony DUI and released from San Benito County Jail on bail of $100,000.[23] A court date of 5 November 2013 was given.[24] Schwyzer was reported to be in "...an extended treatment program in Malibu, California, focusing on mental illness and chemical dependency."[25] In an April 2015 blog comment, Schwyzer claimed that the DUI matter had been resolved, but that he been asked not to comment on the matter further.[26]

Current status

Since January 2014, Schwyzer has been employed as a tax accounting assistant in Los Angeles.[1][27] In March 2015, in the final entry on his blog, Schwyzer noted that he was not "coming back" nor planning any "grand return" to public life.[27]

Personal life

Schwyzer has been divorced four times.[28][29] He has two children, Heloise Cerys Raquel (born 2009) and David Aneurin Nikola (born 2012), with fourth ex-wife Eira Victoria Chumrau.[30][31]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gable, Mona (March 26, 2014). "The Hugo Problem". Los Angeles. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ Schwyzer, Hugo (June 23, 2006). "Hubert R.G. Schwyzer, 1935-2006; the obituary, UPDATED". hugoschwyzer.net. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Schwyzer, Hugo (June 8, 2004). "A not-so-short academic autobiography". Archived from the original on 23 Nov 2013.
  4. ↑ Schwyzer, Hugo Benedict (1999). Arms and the bishop: The Anglo-Scottish War and the northern episcopate, 1296-1357 (Thesis). University of California, Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 23 Nov 2013.
  5. ↑ Schwyzer, Hugo (1999). "Northern bishops and the Anglo-Scottish War in the reign of Edward II". In Prestwich, Michael; Britnell, Richard; Frame, Robin. Thirteenth Century England VII: Proceedings of the Durham Conference 1997. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. pp. 243–254. ISBN 978-0-85115-719-1.
  6. ↑ "Thirteenth Century England: Proceedings of the Durham Conference 1997". RI-Opac: Literature Database for the Middle Ages. Archived from the original on 23 Nov 2013.
  7. ↑ Rivera, Carla (October 9, 2013). "Gender studies Professor resigns from Pasadena City College". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Pasadena City College officials: Lecture from adult film star moved, closed to public and press". Pasadena Star-News. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ "James Deen Speaking At Pasadena City College Stirs Controversy". The Huffington Post. February 27, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Hugo Schwyzer". Jezebel. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  11. ↑ "If You Want a More Thoughtful Boyfriend, Try Pegging Him". Jezebel. March 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  12. ↑ "Hugo Schwyzer". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  13. ↑ Hugo Schwyzer (2013-05-16). "What If Men Stopped Chasing Much-Younger Women?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  14. ↑ "About Hugo Schwyzer". Goodmenproject.com. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  15. ↑ "Isn't He Lovely: Guy Talk with Hugo Schwyzer of the Good Men Project". Bitch. September 12, 2011. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  16. ↑ "Beauty Disrupted: A Memoir". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  17. ↑ Clarisse Thorn (2011-12-15). "On Sex, Drugs, and Feminism: A Q&A With Hugo Schwyzer". Role/Reboot. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  18. ↑ Raphael Magarik (2012-02-13). "Exile in Gal-Ville: How a Male Feminist Alienated His Supporters". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  19. ↑ Stoeffel, Kat (2013-07-31). "Why Did Hugo Schwyzer, Token Guy of the Lady Blogosphere, Retire Early?". New York. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  20. ↑ "District Statement on Hugo Schwyzer". Pasadenanow.com. 2013-09-05. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
  21. ↑ "Official Statement on Leaving PCC". hugoschwyzer.net. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
  22. ↑ Rivera, Carla (9 Oct 2013). "Gender studies professor resigns from Pasadena City College". Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles Times). Archived from the original on 23 Nov 2013.
  23. 1 2 Schwyzer, Hugo (30 Sep 2013). "Picking up a felony DUI". Archived from the original on 23 Nov 2013.
  24. 1 2 Gold, Lauren (1 Oct 2013). "PCC’s Porn Professor arrested for felony DUI". Archived from the original on 23 Nov 2013.
  25. ↑ Schwyzer, Hugo (5 Nov 2013). "Entering treatment at last". Archived from the original on 23 Nov 2013.
  26. ↑ Schwyzer, Hugo (2 April 2015). "comment on "March 2015 update"". Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016. It has been resolved. I have been asked not to comment further on this matter.
  27. 1 2 Schwyzer, Hugo (31 March 2015). "March 2015 update". Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016. I am not “coming back.” I abused the rhetoric of redemption and second chances for too long to get away with publicly constructing still another narrative of restoration and return. Even a single post like this runs the risk of reviving a drama that is best consigned to the past. It’s a risk I’ve not been willing to take in over a year.

    I’m taking the risk now because I think those who were impacted — for better or worse — by my teaching and my writing deserve to know this much: I am not planning a grand return. I am not trying to win back anyone’s trust. I am not ingratiating myself with a new community in the expectation that I can soon talk my way into leadership. Rather, I stack chairs and sweep floors and serve as a tax accountant’s assistant.
  28. ↑ Kathy Shaidle (August 13, 2013). "The Unsurprising Sexism of Male Progressives". Taki's Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2015. The old flakiness? Schwyzer converted to Judaism so he could marry his fourth wife.
  29. ↑ Hugo Schwyzer (May 20, 2008). "Three divorces, four successful marriages". HugoSchwyzer.net. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2015. I’ve been divorced three times. That doesn’t mean I’ve had three failed marriages.
  30. ↑ Hugo Schwyzer (May 30, 2012). "Why I’m More Afraid To Raise A Son Than A Daughter". Role Reboot. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  31. ↑ Hugo Schwyzer (February 2009). "A Season for Everything Save Shame". HugoSchwyzer.net. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2015.

External links

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