Hugo Schwyzer Explained

Hugo Schwyzer
Birth Date:22 May 1967
Birth Place:Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Education:University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles (PhD)
Occupation:College professor, blogger, author, speaker

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

Family background

Hugo Schwyzer was born in Santa Barbara, California, to Hubert (1935–2006) and Alison Schwyzer, both of whom 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, becoming professor of renaissance literature at the University of Exeter, England.

Schwyzer's parents divorced when he was young. He and his brother were then raised by his mother in Carmel, California. Schwyzer maintained a 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] Schwyzer's paternal grandfather, Georg, was a Vienna-based Jewish physician while his paternal grandmother, Elsa, was half-Jewish.[3]

Academic career

Schwyzer studied history at University of California, Berkeley, specializing in medieval history.[4] [5] He developed a passion for this subject after seeing Derek Jacobi perform Shakespeare's Richard II. 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.[6] 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).[7] [8]

His three areas of study at graduate level were:

Schwyzer joined the Pasadena City College faculty first as an adjunct instructor in 1993 then in a tenure-track position in 1994. Over 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. He was forced to resign in October 2013 due to personal issues and public controversies.[9]

In February 2013, Schwyzer invited adult film actor James Deen to return to Deen's alma mater, Pasadena City College, 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".[10] Deen was restricted to speaking to the students of Pasadena City College's "Navigating Pornography" class.[11]

Other activities

Schwyzer wrote on public and personal topics for publications including Jezebel[12] [13] and The Atlantic,[14] [15] was a contributor to The Good Men Project,[16] [17] and co-authored supermodel Carré Otis autobiography , published in 2011 by HarperCollins.[18]

Schwyzer describes himself as a former teen sex worker, recounting in a 2021 Substack post that he had sex with many dozens of older men for money between ages 17 and 19.[19]

Controversies

Schwyzer became the subject of controversy when he disclosed to school administration and the general public his many affairs with his young female college students.[20] In several blog posts 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.[21] [22]

On August 9, 2013, Schwyzer tweeted a rapid-fire series of confessions described as a "meltdown"; his tweet storm included confessions of sex with porn stars who had spoken in his classes, as well as his own absence of credentials to teach women's studies.[23] When white feminists expressed concern for Schwyzer's mental health, black activist Mikki Kendall created the hashtag #solidarityisforwhitewomen, which rapidly trended worldwide. In an op-ed for The Guardian, Kendall noted that "Hugo Schwyzer's Twitter confession was the catalyst" for the hashtag's creation and subsequent popularity.[24]

In September 2013, the college announced that it was launching an investigation of Schwyzer that could lead to his termination.[25] 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. The college denied this request. On October 8, 2013, Schwyzer resigned and the college investigation closed.[26] [27]

A week earlier, writing under the heading "Picking up a felony DUI",[28] Schwyzer announced that he had been involved in a car crash, causing injury to a 25-year-old woman. The incident occurred on Friday, September 27, 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."[29] He was then charged with felony DUI and released from San Benito County Jail on bail of $100,000. A court date of November 5, 2013, was given. Schwyzer was reported to be in "an extended treatment program in Malibu, California, focusing on mental illness and chemical dependency."[30] In an April 2015 blog comment, Schwyzer claimed that the DUI matter had been resolved, but that he had been asked not to comment on the matter further.[31]

Current status

In January 2014, Schwyzer began working as a tax accounting assistant in Los Angeles.[1] [32] 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.[32]

As of October 2018, Schwyzer was reported to be working at a Trader Joe's.[33]

In October 2020, Schwyzer returned to writing[34] with a subscription-based Substack newsletter.

Personal life

Schwyzer has been divorced four times and is currently separated from his fifth wife.[35] He has two children.[36] [37]

Notes and References

  1. News: Mona. Gable . The Hugo Problem . . March 26, 2014 . February 24, 2015.
  2. Web site: Hugo . Schwyzer . Hubert R. G. Schwyzer, 1935–2006; the obituary, UPDATED . hugoschwyzer.net . June 23, 2006 . June 22, 2015 . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518093156/http://www.hugoschwyzer.net/2006/06/23/hubert-rg-schwyzer-1935-2006-the-obituary-updated-with-pictures/ . May 18, 2015 .
  3. Hugo Schwyzer, Why I Won't Tell Anyone To Calm Down, November 10, 2016
  4. Web site: Sex and the Psychotic Professor . Robert Stacy . McCain . The American Spectator . August 19, 2013 . September 7, 2021 .
  5. Web site: A not-so-short academic autobiography . Schwyzer . Hugo . June 8, 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203043401/http://www.hugoschwyzer.net/2004/06/08/a-not-so-short-academic-autobiography/ . December 3, 2013 . usurped .
  6. Hugo Benedict . Schwyzer . Arms and the bishop: The Anglo-Scottish War and the northern episcopate, 1296–1357 . University of California, Los Angeles . 1999 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232734/http://www.ibiblio.org/mpact/mpact.php?op=show_tree&id=7149 . December 2, 2013 . November 24, 2013 . live .
  7. Book: Schwyzer, Hugo . Michael . Prestwich . Michael Prestwich . Richard . Britnell . Richard Britnell . Robin . Frame . Thirteenth Century England VII: Proceedings of the Durham Conference 1997 . https://books.google.com/books?id=l0LSjHTOby4C&pg=PA243. 1999 . Boydell & Brewer Ltd. 978-0-85115-719-1 . 243–254 . Northern bishops and the Anglo-Scottish War in the reign of Edward II.
  8. Web site: Thirteenth Century England: Proceedings of the Durham Conference 1997 . RI-Opac: Literature Database for the Middle Ages . https://archive.today/20131124060428/http://opac.regesta-imperii.de/lang_en/anzeige.php?sammelwerk=Thirteenth+Century+England+7 . 2013-11-24 . dead .
  9. Web site: Gender studies Professor resigns from Pasadena City College. Carla. Rivera. October 9, 2013. Los Angeles Times. April 5, 2015.
  10. News: James Deen Speaking At Pasadena City College Stirs Controversy. The Huffington Post. May 4, 2013. February 27, 2013.
  11. Web site: Pasadena City College officials: Lecture from adult film star moved, closed to public and press. Pasadena Star-News. May 4, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130504233455/http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/breakingnews/ci_22671957/administrators-at-pasadena-city-college-meet-professor-after. May 4, 2013. dead.
  12. Web site: Hugo Schwyzer . Jezebel . February 8, 2012 . 2013-08-10.
  13. Web site: If You Want a More Thoughtful Boyfriend, Try Pegging Him . Jezebel . March 1, 2013 . 2013-08-10.
  14. Web site: Hugo Schwyzer . The Atlantic . 2013-08-10.
  15. Web site: Hugo Schwyzer . What If Men Stopped Chasing Much-Younger Women? . The Atlantic . May 16, 2013 . 2013-08-10.
  16. Web site: About Hugo Schwyzer . Goodmenproject.com . 2013-08-10.
  17. Web site: Isn't He Lovely: Guy Talk with Hugo Schwyzer of the Good Men Project . . September 12, 2011 . 2013-08-10.
  18. Web site: Beauty Disrupted: A Memoir . HarperCollins . 2013-08-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131029015058/http://www.harpercollins.com/browseinside/index.aspx?isbn13=9780062024459 . 2013-10-29 . dead .
  19. Web site: Sex, Lies, and Britney Spears: on Illusions of Power . . February 25, 2021 . 2021-02-26.
  20. Web site: On Sex, Drugs, and Feminism: A Q&A With Hugo Schwyzer. December 15, 2011. Role/Reboot. Clarisse Thorn. 2013-08-10.
  21. Web site: Exile in Gal-Ville: How a Male Feminist Alienated His Supporters. February 13, 2012. Raphael Magarik. The Atlantic. 2013-08-10.
  22. Web site: Why Did Hugo Schwyzer, Token Guy of the Lady Blogosphere, Retire Early?. July 31, 2013. Stoeffel, Kat. New York. 2013-08-10.
  23. Web site: Controversial "Feminist" Hugo Schwyzer has A Very Public Meltdown. August 9, 2013. Buzzfeed.com. 2020-02-27.
  24. Web site:
    1. SolidarityisforWhiteWomen: women of color's issue with digital feminist
    . August 14, 2013. Theguardian.com. 2020-02-27.
  25. Web site: District Statement on Hugo Schwyzer. September 5, 2013. Pasadenanow.com. 2013-09-05.
  26. Web site: Official Statement on Leaving PCC. hugoschwyzer.net. 2013-10-08. usurped. https://web.archive.org/web/20131010062920/http://www.hugoschwyzer.net/2013/10/08/official-statement-on-leaving-pcc/. October 10, 2013.
  27. News: Gender studies professor resigns from Pasadena City College. October 9, 2013. Rivera. Carla. Los Angeles Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20131123213225/http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-college-resign-20131009,0,764664.story#axzz2lVK7oBYU. November 23, 2013. dead. November 24, 2013.
  28. Web site: Picking up a felony DUI. September 30, 2013. Schwyzer. Hugo. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203034520/http://www.hugoschwyzer.net/2013/09/30/picking-up-a-felony-dui/. 2013-12-03. usurped.
  29. Web site: PCC's Porn Professor arrested for felony DUI. October 1, 2013. Gold. Lauren. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203045417/http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20131001/pccs-porn-professor-arrested-for-felony-dui. 2013-12-03. dead.
  30. Web site: Entering treatment at last. November 5, 2013. Schwyzer. Hugo. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203020237/http://www.hugoschwyzer.net/2013/11/05/entering-treatment-at-last/. 2013-12-03. usurped.
  31. Web site: comment on "March 2015 update". April 2, 2015. January 10, 2016. It has been resolved. I have been asked not to comment further on this matter.. Schwyzer, Hugo. April 27, 2015. usurped. https://web.archive.org/web/20150427205332/http://www.hugoschwyzer.net/2015/03/31/march-2015-update/#comment-1712266.
  32. Web site: March 2015 update . Schwyzer, Hugo . March 31, 2015 . April 27, 2015 . January 10, 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. . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20150427205332/http://www.hugoschwyzer.net/2015/03/31/march-2015-update/ .
  33. Web site: The Wages of Infidelity. October 2, 2018. ifstudies.org. 2020-02-29.
  34. Web site: Hugo Schwyzer. 2020-11-12.
  35. News: Hugo Schwyzer . Three divorces, four successful marriages . I've been divorced three times. That doesn't mean I've had three failed marriages. . HugoSchwyzer.net . May 20, 2008 . May 10, 2015 . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20120801045829/http://www.hugoschwyzer.net/2008/05/20/three-divorces-four-successful-marriages/ . August 1, 2012 .
  36. News: Hugo Schwyzer . Why I'm More Afraid To Raise A Son Than A Daughter . Role Reboot . May 30, 2012 . May 10, 2015.
  37. News: Hugo Schwyzer . A Season for Everything Save Shame . HugoSchwyzer.net . February 2009 . May 10, 2015 . usurped . https://web.archive.org/web/20110822203958/http://hugoschwyzer.net/2011/02/28/a-season-for-everything-save-shame/ . August 22, 2011 .

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