Radhika, I can't write much now because I have to go back to precisely what we are selling, but the issue, I believe, is that feminist work may not be viewed as clearly "useful" to the social or cultural organization external to the university, but within which the university exists and depends upon for its existence. (I.e., How does it increase economical or political control or expansion, etc.?). This is not to suggest that it may not be as useful, but in terms of the popular perception of what content is useful to fund. I think that we need to look beyond the university to get insight into some of those questions. And, this is why the issue of our internal ethics is so important. In thinking about this question on my way home yesterday, I think that in terms of process the way that a discipline gets legitimized at least where I work is answered in part by a very simply question, "Do we have tenure track lines assigned to teach in this area?" Many of the study areas (Women's Studies being a good example, have what we call an instructional unit #, but all of the faculty have appointments elsewhere, including the Chair.) Just my two cents, before I return to "selling, cataloging, storing and transmiting the wares of this university." IB Irene Berkowitz Coordinator for Curricular Publications and Systems Office of the Vice Provost Temple University tel. 215-204-7596 fax. 215-204 3175 berkowitz@mail.temple.edu
radhika@cyberdiva.org 11/07/2002 7:27:01 AM >>> This discussion on disciplinarity has been very interesting so far, and I just know its going to feed into a small presentation I have to give here at my university tomorrow (entitled "tips on publishing" - what do *I* know about that - but if they dont mind hearing me, of course I'll talk;-)) . So thanks all (I'll make sure to acknowledge "the list").
The problem of inter/cross/trans disciplinarity - when this issue becomes a battlefield - in the case of promotion, tenure, getting a phd etc in the US (so I am being very US centric and self-centric here) is accentuated in relation to publishing.... where you publish etc - and some publications in some disciplines dont allow the saying and asking of certain types of questions and critiques (again I'm simplifying and being extremely polite...) - which is why of course those of us who do more than token feminist and cultural studies type work (however much I may mumble and grumble about some kinds of appropriation of these - these are still some of the only academic spaces that even allow certain kinds of conversations) sometimes have an interesting time in relation definitions of disciplinarity. Now with "Internet studies" being "interdisciplinary" however - I find less resistance (again depending on the kind of *questions* one asks in relation to the Internet...this resistance is less or more) - perhaps because the Internet "sells" (in relation to the corporate world, I mean) better than critiques coming from various counter-mainstream locations? So when we talk about ethics of inter/trans/cross etc disciplinarity in relation to Internet studies - what are we selling? r Radhika Gajjala _______________________ http://www.cyberdiva.org _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l@aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l