ABSTRACT
In the form of a personal history, this chapter presents my lived experience with the social dynamics of speed at personal, educational, professional, and institutional levels. It first shows the interconnectedness between time, industry, business, markets, and life in modern cities, including industrial cities. I then argue that recent allegations put forward by business-friendly governments and corporate bodies that university faculty members are slow and that they are major obstacles to solving economic problems have kept several critical questions at the back of my mind alive and kicking. It was these questions that ultimately led to my exploration of the nexus between TESOL and the cult of speed in this age of increased neoliberal mobility.
