In any case, I recall that the replies to our questions were not only public
on xlchc, but there was also a lot of back channel discussion between grad
students who identified each other after seeing each other's uncomfortable
questions to the main group. I get the sense that one student would ask a
question, and this would inspire a small flurry of back channel talk among a
few interested students.
Xgrad was more like a chance to "officially" continue these back channel
initiatives. Far from there being an anti-theoretical antagonism among
students, there was a very keen interest in the theoretical issues under
discussion. However, those of us involved in xgrad at the time felt that we
needed a "beginner" group where we could help each other to the background
necessary to interpret the main themes on xlchc -- without derailing those
main discussions. We had some pretty good talks, as I recall.
The problem with xgrad, I think, was that a student population is very
fluid. Peoples' courses ended, they moved away from departments to continue
their careers at other universities, and otherwise discontinue e-mail
contact. Or, in my case, they went back to working on their theses while
going back to full-time jobs in the midst of highly distracting political
circumstances (as I am doing now). The xgrad discussion group seemed very
unstable, lacking continuity of membership. Eventually, it just died out
from a process of what I think of as the natural attrition common in social
institutions.
Now...if you want to talk about anti-theoretical attitudes among teaching
practitioners who have not engaged in grad work, then that is a VERY
different story indeed. Boy, could I tell you some stories about that!
--glenn
Glenn D. Humphreys
P.O. Box 11
Echo Bay, Ontario
Canada, P0S 1C0
Telephone: (705) 248-1226
Internet: glenhump who-is-at soonet.ca
Fax (Phone/Email to arrange fax transmission): (705) 248-1226