Last Saturday was a remarkable day of NYC-based, globe-spanning eco-activism. The day began with a trip up to the South Bronx, where friends of mine were involved in various local environmental justice initiatives. The organization Sustainable South Bronx sponsored a … Continue reading “Resources of Hope”
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Trolling and refueling the tank of spectacle
Biella ColemanSo I got to Internet Trolls via my work on Anonymous vs the Church of Scientology but I have remained interested in grappling with them independent of Anonymous. In the last few weeks, I had the chance to bump up … Continue reading “Trolling and refueling the tank of spectacle”
From Bolivia to the Bronx and Beyond
Ashley DawsonJoin ST collective member Ashley Dawson on Saturday, September 18th for a forum on Climate Justice featuring Father Miguel D’Escoto, former President of the U.N. General Assembly, Bolivian Ambassador Pablo Solon, Tanya Fields of Mothers on the Move (Bronx), and … Continue reading “From Bolivia to the Bronx and Beyond”
Impact: an Introduction
Tariq JazeelThe new system for assessing the quality of research produced by institutions of higher education in the UK and the academics they employ will be known as the “Research Excellence Framework” (REF). Replacing the “Research Assessment Exercise” (RAE), the inaugural … Continue reading “Impact: an Introduction”
The Real Knowledge Transfer
stefano harneyIn Britain, knowledge transfer (KT) is taking a new turn. As a university policy, KT emphasized intellectual property rights. The dream of the managers of the university was to patent knowledge produced in university departments, laboratories, and lecture halls. This … Continue reading “The Real Knowledge Transfer”
The Impact of "Impact"
ananya jahanara kabirReading a grant application for a Danish research project that I participate in, the following sentence caught my eye: “[A]pplicability is desirable, but not a demand. Grundforschung is the main aim.” Taking “applicability” to be roughly equivalent to “impact,” the … Continue reading “The Impact of "Impact"”
Counting Towards Tenure
Tavia Nyong'oWho is counting on tenure? We are all counting on tenure, it seems, as the professional horizon of intellectual work, as the foundation of security upon which any edifice of independent thought might withstand the forces of erosion in our time. However, as far as the New York Times can tell, tenure primarily counts as a politically neutral reward for professionalism and an accommodation to a hierarchical ideal of expertise. Missing from this is any body count of those intellectuals whose activity inside and out of the academia, while crucial to its functioning, are not tracked for tenure.
The Curious and the Useful
richard phillips
Should scholars and scientists concentrate on being useful, or should they be guided primarily by curiosity? This stark choice — between usefulness and curiosity — has been mobilised implicitly by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in recent … Continue reading “The Curious and the Useful”
'Creative' Functionalism and Continental Philosophy at Middlesex
paula gilligan
On May 10, 2010, the management of Middlesex University in England shut down its Philosophy Department. This act provoked a spate of letters in the newspapers. Now, while the general attack on the Humanities in the United Kingdom has been going … Continue reading “'Creative' Functionalism and Continental Philosophy at Middlesex”
Deepwater Impact
stephen shapiro
The simple fact that we are discussing “impact” proposals on the humanities and social sciences indicates a depressing failure of “impact” itself. Long after the contemporary academy has become bored with Foucauldian critiques of social control through assessment and quantitative … Continue reading “Deepwater Impact”
Academic Free Fall
neil smithWhen I left Britain in the 1970s to pursue a doctorate in the US, it was an item of faith that US universities were far more corporatized than their UK counterparts, in the social sciences as well as the natural … Continue reading “Academic Free Fall”
Researching the Global South in an Age of Impact
paula meth
Paula’s Story: In October 2009 I ran (with the help of local researchers) a dissemination workshop in the basement of a community library in the informal settlement of Cato Crest, Durban, South Africa. I was feeding back to project participants, … Continue reading “Researching the Global South in an Age of Impact”
The Impact Effect
rick rylanceRecently RCUK, the umbrella body for the seven UK research councils, had a discussion about the language of impact. As many will know, all councils require statements about impact on grant applications. We discussed whether these should be called ‘plans’ … Continue reading “The Impact Effect ”
Featured on NPR: The Citizen Machine
Social Text CollectiveSocial Text Collective member Anna McCarthy was a guest on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show to discuss her recent book The Citizen Machine: Governing by Television in 1950’s America.
The interview aired on the August 3rd broadcast but can be listened to in its entirety by clicking the link above.
Interview: Richard Ledes on Haiti and Horror Movies
Kristina HuangIntroduction: Richard Ledes is an award-winning New York City-based filmmaker. His films include A Hole in One (2004) and The Caller (2008), which won Tribeca Film Festival’s Made in New York award. His current project, Foreclosure, is a … Continue reading “Interview: Richard Ledes on Haiti and Horror Movies”