- We agree with Risam and Gil that we should look at the executive structure to ensure better global representation, and
- We partially agree that steps could be taken to invigorate or encourage participation in GO::DH activities (though we also believe that the fall in activity they point to is also simply part of the natural evolution of all Communities of Practice rather than something to be particularly concerned about).
- We disagree with their proposal to "separate." In our view, this does nothing to address their first two concerns and in fact probably works against them by reducing GO::DH's prominence, ability to play a leading role at ADHO (and other events) and by making the network disparity between Northerners and others that they point to as the cause of (1) worse, not better.
- "Separating" will not lead per se to a restructuring of the GO::DH executive or make it any easier. Risam and Gil argue that the current predominance of Northerners in the GO::DH executive is the result of a network advantage--i.e. Northerners have easier access to the organisations and events that make you well-known in DH and this shows up in more votes at election time. "Separating" from ADHO makes this Northern advantage greater, not less: the Northerners will still have access to these opportunities through their Northern COs; separating GO::DH from ADHO simply removes a channel by which those not in those circles have risen to international prominence--it makes the playing field more uneven, in other words.
- "Separation" also does nothing
to support reinvigoration. The early "active" days on GO::DH happened when GO::DH was becoming an ADHO SIG--i.e. associated with ADHO. This suggests that ADHO is not the cause of the decline in activity--and, in fact, all communities of practice experience
it: they are active in the beginning because they are attracting the greatest percentage of new members, many of whom already have active projects; after that burst, new projects need to be developed rather than imported, and that is a slower process.
But while all Communities of Practice experience a reduction in activity after their earliest days, there is no reason to believe that abandoning our relationship with the conferences and journals that promote DH research internationally will lead to more activity. Currently GO::DHers have extremely prominent roles in the organisation of the premiere conference in DH--i.e. DH Mexico. This association makes it easier rather than more difficult to find new project, provoke new discussions, and discover new people and ideas.
Daniel Paul O'Donnell
Professor of English and Associate Member of the University Library Academic Staff
Editor, Digital Studies/Le champ numérique
Vice President, Force 11
Department of English and University Library
University of Lethbridge
4401 University Drive West
Lethbridge AB T1K 3M4
Canada
Tel. +1 (403) 329-2377
http://people.uleth.ca/~daniel.odonnell
@danielPaulOD
Sent: November 7, 2017 21:05
To: globaloutlookdh-l, MailList
Subject: Re: [globaloutlookDH-l] December 1 Referendum | Election Official
# Independence Model
PROS:
- Chance to inspire again
Dr. Risam, let me know if I left a bullet point out, or you would like to add anything.
Thank you all for recent participations. Dan & Tunde, there's some lengthy work there. Thank you very much for sharing it.
Considering that there's more than 500 accounts in this list, and that only a tiny minority has participated actively in the discussions about the 'Referendum' it seems to me there's the danger a quiet majority may not have the time to carefully consider the options on the table, including, importantly, their potential consequences.
Both proposals in full can be now consulted at length, but I'd like to kindly ask Roopi & Alex and Dan & Tunde to concisely answer the following, if they are willing, in this same thread, for the benefit of the rest of us:
In no more than 5 brief bullet points, what are the pros & cons of each your proposals, including (as most seem to agree GO::DH has achieved very good things) what you think could be the negative consequences if one or the other wins?
Think of us time-poor voters: what easy- to-remember & understand points would you like the 'quiet majority' of the membership to take home in order to help us decide?
Thanks in advance.
Ernesto (still a bit confused)
On 7 Nov 2017 19:24, "Alex Gil" <colibri.alex@gmail.com> wrote:
Thank you ‘Tunde and Dan for this thoughtful and detailed proposal. This gives us a much clearer set of choices on December 1st, and I appreciate the labor you put into it.
Thank you too, Miguel, for your candor and analysis.
As we approach the election, I encourage members to add arguments in favor of either of the models at hand. Amy Earhart will soon be in touch with instructions.
Best to all from NYC,Alex
On Tue, Nov 7, 2017 at 2:00 PM O'Donnell, Dan <daniel.odonnell@uleth.ca> wrote:
Hi all,
'Tunde and I have come up with an articulation of what we think is our common position. This might be an alternative to Alex and Roopsi's proposal. Basically, the idea is that the "independence" option actually gets in the way of solutions to the other two problems they mention and that we should focus on those--particularly, perhaps, the governance issue.
Here's a link: https://docs.google.com/
document/d/1MSkTVP3Xib4z4RfKB3 eoutSW2FKILRmkFfnfnw2wMP4/edit ?usp=sharing
It is set to comment, but we're happy to accept edit proposals.
-dan
![U of Lethbridge Logo]()
Daniel Paul O'Donnell
Professor of English and Associate Member of the University Library Academic Staff
Editor, Digital Studies/Le champ numérique
Vice President, Force 11
Department of English and University Library
University of Lethbridge
4401 University Drive West
Lethbridge AB T1K 3M4
Canada
Tel. +1 (403) 329-2377
http://people.uleth.ca/~daniel
.odonnell @danielPaulOD
From: globaloutlookdh-l <globaloutlookdh-l-bounces@uleth.ca > on behalf of Miguel Escobar Varela <m.escobar@nus.edu.sg>
Sent: November 7, 2017 4:44:55 AM
To: globaloutlookdh-l, MailList
Subject: Re: [globaloutlookDH-l] December 1 Referendum | Election Official______________________________Dear all,
I wish to thank Tunde for articulating his position so clearly. His words express perceptions also shared in Southeast Asia.
As Tunde, I believe that we should develop a strategy that strengthens our current position and that GO::DH should aim to be an infrastructure. Previous projects and efforts of GO::DH have brought necessary attention to many issues and effectively changed the course of action and vocabulary of ADHO. I also agree with those who note that the status quo is not enough and that a more global conversation is still a distant goal, but my preference is to continue working within the current, hard-won institutional position, as others have previously advocated for.
Although I am inspired by the chants for revolution, I personally favor a more timid – if realistic – strategy that works within ADHO. Slow institutional change is frustrating, but I believe there is sufficient momentum to push for bigger and greater things in years to come. I believe this is also a perspective that better expresses the interests of the communities I represent here. I am writing from the perspective of Southeast Asia, on behalf of colleagues with whom I have talked about these issues in past days. I work with digital humanists in Singapore and Indonesia, where there is growing interest in participating in global institutions more directly (if I have misrepresented anyone's position, I encourage other colleagues from here to join in this debate). Thus far, our international dialogue has been mostly limited to exchanges with colleagues from Japan, Taiwan and Australia, with occasional visits by some of us to the ADHO conferences.
Our own participation in GO::DH has thus far been mostly that of observers, but excited observers nonetheless. Through GO::DH we feel that we have a foot in the door of this distant house of international DH. As we peek in through the door, we realize the house might undergo radical renovation and might soon be unrecognizable. From the periphery, this all looks a little confusing. Taking an active role in the renovations seems like a daunting task, but we very much want to build things for the global digital humanities community. I look forward to working with the majority on whichever decision is reached.
Best regards,
Miguel
--
Miguel ESCOBAR VARELA, PhD :: Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore :: Director, Contemporary Wayang Archive (cwa-web.org) :: miguelescobar.comDear ALL<
Many thanks for all the comments, contributions on the ongoing debate. I have refrained from joining the debate for some reasons. I needed time to reflect and understand the issues at stake.
I have a few thoughts I would like to share.
Let me start by thanking all our executive members(founding, former and serving) for their work and service to GO::DH and the global DH body(ies). I deeply respect the opinions of Alex and Roopsi as well the concerns of everyone that have shared one thought or another. I am aware that a few of us have some reservations concerning our place and position(future) within the global DH body(ADHO). While I share that concerns, I would suggest that we take some time off and reflect on some far-reaching implications of any decision we take, going forward.
One, so far, to the best of my knowledge and relatively speaking, I believe if we have worked on more than a few societies, many of us would agree that GO::DH has not fared badly. We are not yet there but I believe it is work in progress.
Two, GO::DH should be seen as an infrastructure rather a project--something that exists to receive the ideas and identities of others rather than always pushing things. A platform, or a bridge that connects others to the world of DH.
Three, I believe therefore that being associated with ADHO would make us more accessible to new participants who are not well-connected. Consider A grad student in Africa or a scholar working on his or her own in eastern Europe or the Middle East is not going to discover our world if we go off in isolation. They will if we are the global part of ADHO.
Wouldn’t our isolationist proposal reduce the global nature and impact of the organisation? To my mind, GO::DH's success so far, in my view is a result of it being something that people see themselves in rather than something that does something. It provides a safe space for people to engage with DH globally. I think we should see how much we've accomplished rather than the way others(in other organisation) are treating us. If we turn GO::DH into a project rather an infrasturcture would it not reduce its openness and effectiveness?
Many of us here in the global south are now able to access and/or engage the global DH community through GO::DH.
Finally, I will just suggest therefore that we should try and focus more on the vision and the ideals of GO::DH based on the philosophies of the founding fathers.
Let’s reflect more on the implications of any decision that will lead to a negative outcome for GO::DH and those in the far corners of the world looking up to GO::DH to shine the light through the labyrinth of emerging and fast-moving world of DH debates and projects.
I advise that we step back a little, take a deep breath and reflect on the long-term implications of any decision we'll take vis-a-vis our relationship with the global DH communities.
These are just my personal opinions and I will continue to respect the decision of the greater majority.
I thank you all for all your opinions and contributions and service.
With every good wish,
Tunde
On Fri, Oct 27, 2017 at 11:53 PM, Alex Gil <colibri.alex@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear all,
I'm happy to announce that a majority of the executive voted to hold the vote here on the list, in the membership. The referendum for the future of GO::DH will begin on December 1, as planned, and you will decide. I'm also happy to announce that Amy Earhart will be our election official. She will write to you approaching election day with instructions. We will probably keep the ballot open for a week to give as many of you time to get to the vote.
As of now we have 1 model on the ballot. If no other model comes forth between now and then, we will simply say that model 2 is the status quo, nothing changes. The discussion is still open, and I encourage voices we haven't heard from to discuss, even if you don't feel like you know enough to provide a good opinion.
Needless to say, whatever model wins, I will work with the executive to ensure an orderly transition.
Best,a.
_______________________________________________
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--
'Tunde Opeibi, PhD
Professor of Discourse Studies & Digital Cultures, University of LagosVisiting Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Univ. of Edinburgh
Life Fellow, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany
Member, Executive Board, Global Outlook for Digital Humanities (GO:: DH)
Convener, Lagos Summer School in Digital Humanities
Tel: +234 8033122200
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