After some further consideration and a helpful comment from Mark Goodacre on my previous post, I've decided to embrace affiliation and proudly display the logo on my sidebar. Here's Mark's comment:
I doubt that the affiliation will be a negative one, Doug. The SBL has lots of affiliations and relationships with different groups and these relationships are regularly to the good. Much of the time it is simply a question of providing a forum for the discussion of important and / or interesting questions. The fact that the SBL has a session on the status of women in the profession is not giving women in the profession some kind of official recognition that they would not otherwise have. Rather, it is a useful forum for women to come together and discuss key issues and take action on women in the profession. Individual scholars will choose to attend those sessions, and take action, or not, as they choose. And no woman scholar is given a hard time for not attending. Or think of something like the Computer Assisted Research Group, or the sections on Pedagogy. These are venues where like minded people can "opt in" and participate should they choose to do so. No one is forcing them to be involved; no one is given a hard time for not being involved. This is the way I see blogging and the SBL -- it could be a really useful venue for coming together and discussing some issues of interest and relevance.
i'm glad doug as i think you have a lot to offer the discussion. and i mean that sincerely. note the absence of the air quote or the disarming and yet oftentimes hypocritical smiley face.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your post here, Doug, not least because it shows a generosity of spirit that could really help in the ongoing discussion. Thank you.
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