Nomadic Thoughts: Academic Blogging

Friday, May 20, 2005

Academic Blogging

This is a re-post of an entry at my other blog, The Journal, but it's quite relevant to the creation of Nomadic Thoughts:

I have finally pinpointed my latest obsession: academic blogging. AnthroBlog Blog referred me to an article in the Village Voice about academic blogging and it's brief history. The obvious appeal from the viewpoint of academics is that it enables them to bounce ideas off one another and otherwise organize and develop their thoughts in their area of expertise. Of course, I am mostly interested in blogs having to do with the humanities (i.e. anthropology, philosophy, and religion) and indeed these fields seem to make up the bulk of the academic blogs out there (unless I'm missing something). Anthropology and philosophy in particular are perfect for a blogging community because so much of the subject matter has to do with discourse and the exchange of ideas. Read the Village Voice article for elaboration on this; it's very interesting.

My realization that anthropology is a field of ideas is the basis of the appeal of academic blogs. Whereas a hundred years ago an elite group of intellectuals would sit around parlors and universities and discuss their work, public blogging seems much of the same except that it allows for a potentially unlimited audience who are able to comment on what a particular author posts. Thus, it is fundamentally different than what has been going on for the past century. Should an academic choose to maintain a blog, he or she is inviting criticism not just from his peers but from laypersons as well. This forces the academic to exercise his or her ability to espouse ideas and theories so that nonspecialists can understand them. Of course, I am sure there are academic blogs out there that are highly specialized and retain field-specific jargon, but the majority of them are out there because they want to be read by a wide audience outside of their immediate circle. Otherwise, there is no point in maintaining a public blog. That is what academic journals are for.

I have always felt that anthropology is a very critical position in that it must maintain its status as a respectable scientific endeavour but at the same time be accessible to a general audience when necessary. This is because of the immediate social implications of virtually all anthropological research. I am not trying to advocate anthropology as superior to any other science, but rather that because anthropologists study human beings the field must make a conscious effort not to distance itself from the general public. This doesn't always happen, but on a personal level I will enter graduate school with this in the back of my mind.

All that being said, here are some of my favorite academic blogs and a short description of what they're all about:

General Academic Blogs:

Crooked Timber - This one is written by a group of about 12 academics with various backgrounds, so it makes for an interesting mix of opinion and ideas. From what I can tell, this is the granddaddy of academic blogs because I've seen it cited on many others. Usually one of my first stops when I sit down to read.
The Valve - Somewhat new, The Valve was primarily started to serve the literary community. There are plenty of posts on literary theory but also some relating to anthropology and culture. Also written by a collective.

Anthropology Blogs:

Savage Minds - Savage Minds is written by a group of anthropologists about anthropology (duh). Great design and excellent writing make for a good read. It's just getting started but already they have some great posts.
Field Notes - Another great blog that seems to be geared to the author's students and a wide audience. Easy to read with great topics, nice design/layout too.
Motes and Theories on Anthropology - Simple layout and straightforward discussion. I can see this one becoming one of my favorites.
Gloublog - Written by Alex Golub, a PhD candidate at U. of Chicago. Fun to read about his personal experiences as well as his opinions on academia and his journey to achieving his doctorate.
Stranger Fruit - John M. Lynch of Arizona State writes fun posts with some satire. Haven't read much of it yet but there seems to be several posts critical of Intelligent Design (yay!).

Posted by Will at May 20, 2005 01:03 AM in Academia