These are strange times. A time of climate crises. Health crises. Collapsing systems. Influencers. And yes—Jordan Peterson.

We are currently living in a (Post) Peterson Paradigm. This book–12 Rules for (Academic) Life—explores what has happened to teaching, learning and politics through this odd and chaotic time. Deploying feminism, this lens offers a glass-sharpened view of this moment in international higher education. It is organized through twelve mantras for a university sector searching for a purpose in this interregnum.

A question of our time–through a climate emergency, a pandemic and polarized politics–is why Professor Jordan Peterson gained profile and notoriety. The Jordan Peterson moment commenced in September 2016 with his YouTube video, “Professor against political correctness,” and concluded with his debate with Slavoj Zizek on April 19, 2019. From this moment, his credibility was dented, if not destroyed.

Jordan Peterson infused scholarly debates with Punch and Judy extremism and misunderstandings. Instead, this book offers research rather than certainty, interpretation rather than dogma, evidence rather than opinion, and theory rather than ‘moral truth.’ The goal is to recalibrate this (Post) Peterson Paradigm, to take stock of how this moment occurred, and how to create a revision of higher education.