Your message written after talking to Sherry Turkle happened to come "just
as" I have at last gotten around to reading your book draft on the
electronic academia as exemplified by the x-lists. This autumn has been
just too crazy, and I have had very little time for reading _anything_ from
beginning to end (and I'm only two-thirds through the draft as is).
It was very interesting to see some history: for example I now realise that
I came in "through the door" very shortly after the legendary event named
"the goals discussion" -- and that it was in the aftermath of this that
there was still some very interesting discussions going on.
Apart from the history-writing, it was also interesting to get an
opportunity to think about how the x-list message web is woven entirely
textually: on a warp of technical constructions and conversational advice
necessary to maintain list functioning through changing modes of operation,
there is a rich weft of academic business, everything from requests for
info and conference announcements to theoretical discussion. All stitched
together with warm and welcoming community building discourse. And how we
know which is which: because it is sometimes very tightly interwoven
indeed.
It was not in an entirely happy mood I picked up the book -- rather I
turned to it as a comforter one evening when no body or no thing else was
there to turn to: after a day when I had failed to be heard in a discussion
on how to present our research on the Web -- for once I found myself
exposed to all the conversational strategies of silencing: not being let
into the space of speaking, being posed as ridiculous... all in all,
getting so frustrated that I didn't even realise that by getting angry and
leaving I just contributed to my own removal as someone who counts, and to
the general atmosphere of reciprocal contempt instead of care and
respect... all this, because I do care about what we make of the Internet,
and perhaps, have slipped a bit too much into living "on" the net.
For the rest: I have just updated my home page (the URL should be in the
signature), and at least for the time being I use an old message of mine to
the xlchc as what the visitor will see first...
Cheers
Eva
nununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununu
Eva Ekeblad
Univ. of Gothenburg, Sweden Goteborgs Universitet
Dept. of Education & Educational Research Institutionen for Pedagogik
Box 1010 S-431 26 Molndal, SWEDEN
e-mail: eva.ekeblad who-is-at ped.gu.se
URL: http://www.ped.gu.se/KIKI/personer/eva.html
Tel: Int +46 31 773 2393 fax: Int +46 31 773 24 62
nununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununu