I like that approach Geoff, and find it very much in the spirit of ye olde
pragmatic maxim: "Consider what effects, which might conceivably have
practical bearings, we conceive the object of our conception to have. Then,
our conception of these effects is our whole conception of the object". I'm
not sure we will arrive at THE definition, though. Possibly a "family
resemblance". I can think of two clear examples of community in my
experience: the five years I was a volunteer fireman and the 10 or so years
that we (the Cunningham family) raised pure bred dairy goats. If this is of
interest to anyone, we might share what "effects" of these had "practical
bearings".
But I have a concern that parallels the argument made by Vann and Bowker.
That we can identify these effects does not means we can manufacture them.
In other words, identifying a community does not mean that we can create
one. Too often an interpretation is turned into a method........djc
-----Original Message-----
From: Geoff Hayward
[mailto:geoff.hayward@educational-studies.oxford.ac.uk]
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 12:19 PM
To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
Subject: Re: impenetrable communities
I know what you mean! We had a reading seminar here on Tuesday with about 20
people and we emerged with several different understandings of the meaning
of community. We are now searching for examples of what we think are
communities of practice and what we think are not in the hope that we can be
clearer about an ostensive definition of CoP.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Cunningham, Donald" <cunningh@indiana.edu>
To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 3:38 PM
Subject: impenetrable communities
> After reading some of the recommended articles on community, I am
beginning
> to feel a little like Alice in "Through the Looking Glass". I hope we are
> paying the word "community" a little extra.................djc
>
> ***************************************
> `When _I_ use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, `it
> means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'
>
> `The question is,' said Alice, `whether you CAN make words mean so many
> different things.'
>
> `The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master - - that's
> all.'
>
> Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty
Dumpty
> began again. `They've a temper, some of them -- particularly verbs,
they're
> the proudest -- adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs --
> however, _I_ can manage the whole of them! Impenetrability! That's what
_I_
> say!'
>
> `Would you tell me, please,' said Alice `what that means?`
>
> `Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very
> much pleased. `I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that
> subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do
> next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'
>
> `That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful
> tone.
>
> `When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, `I
> always pay it extra.'
>
> `Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.
>
>
>
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