Beth has put her finger on a key point: the editorial writer is  
completely ignorant of the field, but nevertheless asserts the  
authority to pass judgment on it, with the aim of perpetuating  
ignorance by having the field abolished.  We have seen this many times  
before with respect to feminist scholarship.  The fundamental  
underlying problem here is that the editorial writer holds the  
subjects of scholarship in contempt--that is, the people who are being  
studied, and the predicaments they face--because she deems them of no  
account.  Nor does she feel any obligation to learn anything before  
passing judgment.  The very definition of prejudice.  What's  
incredible is that a chronicle supposedly devoted to higher education  
would give pride of place to a columnist whose aim is the perpetuation  
of prejudicial ignorance.

--Liz Anderson
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor


Quoting Elizabeth Butterfield <[log in to unmask]>:

>
> Can I just add to this discussion that I also thought some of those  
> dissertation topics sounded super cool?  I would LOVE to read the  
> one about the absence of racial diversity in the natural birthing  
> literature!  And that sounds like a completely acceptable, normal  
> sort of topic for a sociological study, bringing in gender, race,  
> class, etc.
>
> I was genuinely shocked by the editorial writer's ignorance, like  
> when she said "natural birth literature -- what even is that?!?"
>
> And I was shocked by the hatefulness of the tone...  It sounds like  
> many of you were familiar with her before.  I wasn't, so I skimmed  
> through her other posts, and she's clearly playing this extreme  
> attitude for all it's worth.
>
> But I don't understand why the Chronicle would even choose her as a  
> blogger -- she clearly doesn't understand much about academic  
> research.
>
> Beth Butterfield
> Assistant Prof. of Philosophy
> Georgia Southern University
> Statesboro, Georgia
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Date: Thu, 3 May 2012 12:08:30 -0400
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Riley petition- for those interested
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Sally, that was an optional donation page, not a payment page.  It  
> says at the top when you see it that your signature has already been  
> recorded.  It is annoying though that they try to suggest,  
> graphically, that a donation is de rigueur.
>
>
> In any case, more importantly, the article is appalling both in its  
> ignorant and hateful content and in the ethics of attacking grad  
> students.  I am very glad the petition is circulating and really  
> disappointed in CHE for publishing such a thing.  Thanks to Shay for  
> bringing it to my attention.
>
>
> On Thu, May 3, 2012 at 11:50 AM, Sally Haslanger <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> HI all:
> Sorry for the false alarm.  My signature does appear (#579), even  
> though I refused to pay.  It is misleading though.  After I gave my  
> info the "next" button went to a payment page that did not offer $0  
> as an option.  I just assumed that my signature would not be  
> recorded until I hit "done."  Thankfully, it was.  Apologies for the  
> confusion.  (I didn't use the Facebook option.)
> --S.
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Sally Haslanger
> Professor of Philosophy and Director, Women's and Gender Studies
> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> http://www.mit.edu/~shaslang/home.html
> --------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, May 3, 2012 at 10:17 AM, Emanuela Bianchi  
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sally: After signing, the site requests a donation (totally  
> ignorable). But that is after, not before.  Thanks for sharing Shay.  
>  While the whole piece is vile, especially given the current state  
> of the job market I just can't believe what this woman did to those  
> doctoral students!
>
> EB
>
>
> ----- Original message -----
> From: Sally Haslanger <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Riley petition- for those interested
>
>
> Date: Thu, 3 May 2012 09:34:30 -0400
>  This petition requires that you pay to include your name.  This  
> seems problematic and undemocratic to me.  There are other petition  
> sites that ask for but don't require payment.  I'm sorry that I  
> can't sign.  --Sally
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Sally Haslanger
> Professor of Philosophy and Director, Women's and Gender Studies
> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
> http://www.mit.edu/~shaslang/home.html
> --------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, May 3, 2012 at 9:07 AM, Shay Welch <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Here is the petition circling and heading to the Chronicle
>
> http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/challenge-the-chronicle-of-higher-education-to/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=button
> --
> All my best,
> Shay Welch
> Assistant Professor of Philosophy
> Spelman College
>
>
>
> ############################
> To unsubscribe from the FEAST-L list: write to:  
> mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the  
> following link:  
> https://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FEAST-L&A=1  
> ############################
> To unsubscribe from the FEAST-L list: write to:  
> mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the  
> following link: https://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FEAST-L&A=1
>
> --
> Emanuela Bianchi
>
>
> ############################
> To unsubscribe from the FEAST-L list: write to:  
> mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the  
> following link: https://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FEAST-L&A=1
> ############################
> To unsubscribe from the FEAST-L list: write to:  
> mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the  
> following link: https://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FEAST-L&A=1
> ############################
>
> To unsubscribe from the FEAST-L list:
> write to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
> or click the following link:
> https://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FEAST-L&A=1
>

############################

To unsubscribe from the FEAST-L list:
write to: mailto:[log in to unmask]
or click the following link:
https://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=FEAST-L&A=1