Re: Academic voice

diane celia hodges (dchodges who-is-at interchg.ubc.ca)
Sat, 18 Oct 1997 20:53:15 -0700

At 9:15 AM 10/17/97, Kelleen Toohey wrote:
>Isn't it just "Please Don't let me be misunderstood"?
>

I theeeenk we have a winnnaaahhhhh! Congratulations, The steak and knife
set is yours! ha ha
>

>THIS IS ME< I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET THOSE ARROWS TO SHOW WHAT ISN'T ME

WELL HI THERE KELLEEN DO YOU HAVE A "PASTE AS QUOTATION" FEATURE
IN YOUR EMAIL EDITOR? JUSSST ASKIN'... :-)

>I was thinking of Bakhtin's notions of heteroglossia--finding a voice when
>the voices "(and the roles they express in the social structure_ are felt
>by the speaker or writer to be in conflict" from Cazden in Contexts of
>Learning)
>
>So it might not be so much that one is trying to "silence the acdemic voice
>in one's head" as it is that the beginner's claim to that voice is shakey
>and she didn't generate that shakiness all by herself. In classes, and
>course-sponsored e-mail, the professor gives you renting privileges on that
>voice, but outside, claiming it may be seen as very inappropriate.
>
>What do you think?
>

I think, again from my experiences in Education, that women bring with them
certain assumptions about the value of their knowledge,
as women, as teachers;

theory is so detached from the realm of the
material, that it is threatening - again, women are socialized in

nonintellectual positions; socialized to interact physically/intimately with
knowledges, which is not to say women "can't" do these things, but
that women are discouraged from doing so through their school lives
and through their lives as teachers - it's such a careless generalization,
I keep waiting for someone to throttle my assumptions...

but "claiming" that voice is complicated: that theoretical voice speaks "down"
to women, speaks "over" women - asking us to ventroliquate our oppressor,
so to speak. Oh brudder. Did I write that? Sheeesh. Talk about drama.

I have noticed this in education, where women feel disqualified to engage
with theory, but do so out of a school-training response system, it's
what students do, learn the curriculum. Read the books. Engage the material.
But It's not necessarily a voice that can be "owned" by women with the

same ease as men - I do believe there is a gender thing at work.

I think there's something to what you say about Bakhtin and "heteroglossia";
but again, there is structural authority in "voices" which privilege certain
gendered speakers and specifically originate in practices determined
to subordinate women in participation.

I think this conflict is a part of it all too.

diane
p.s. Hey. Yer just up on the Hill aren't you! How's the view from SFU these
days?
Seen any new pool coaches lately? (Kidding!!!) :-)

"Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right."
Ani Difranco
*********************************
diane celia hodges
faculty of education
university of british columbia
vancouver, bc canada
tel: (604)-253-4807
email: dchodges who-is-at interchange.ubc.ca