[SSC] SSC Digest, Vol 9, Issue 14

Wed Sep 21 12:30:45 UTC 2011

Hello all,

Thanks, Joyce and Richard. I think this is an important discussion that we could perhaps take up when we next meet, or arrange to otherwise do so. It raises real qusetions about the relationships that we each might have to the Social Science Centre and to universities, and the relationship or not between these institutions (and ways of life). On the one hand, I find it difficult to imagine how I might personally separate them neatly, and wouldn't want to; it raises questions about the values of participatory research from within the academy (as there are still some strong and I think defensible traditions of this), co-research, militant research, popular eduation, border crossings, complex subjectivities, and etc. On the other hand there are pressing concerns about the possibility of simply conflating these spaces/roles/projects into the dominant form, which is also often the most comfortable one. 

The writing that came out of the Autonomous Geographies project would be an absolutely excellent place to start to discuss this, in my view -- it deals with precisely these questions, deeply, and might give us something to talk around that is at enough distance to allow for dialogue and play.

Best,
Sarah
________________________________________
From: ssc-bounces at lists.aktivix.org [ssc-bounces at lists.aktivix.org] on behalf of ssc-request at lists.aktivix.org [ssc-request at lists.aktivix.org]
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 1:00 PM
To: ssc at lists.aktivix.org
Subject: SSC Digest, Vol 9, Issue 14

Send SSC mailing list submissions to
        ssc at lists.aktivix.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
        https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssc
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
        ssc-request at lists.aktivix.org

You can reach the person managing the list at
        ssc-owner at lists.aktivix.org

When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of SSC digest..."

Today's Topics:

   1. Re: some thoughts (Richard Hall)
   2. really Open University  - The Space Project (Andre Pusey)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:08:27 +0100
From: "Richard Hall" <RHall1 at dmu.ac.uk>
To: <ssc at lists.aktivix.org>
Subject: Re: [SSC] some thoughts
Message-ID:
        <290C0FAF9352E54EB483CBA4ED12133C05A10439 at artemis.LEC-ADMIN.dmu.ac.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I've been thinking long and hard about this one, Joyce.

I am happy for my contributions to add to a process that aids others and
helps us celebrate/develop our position - in that it is for us/those who
associate with us, and in that it is against the enclosed University.

However, I would be more concerned if this was used by anyone as part of
their formal, funded role, for their own research agenda within the
academy. I read this tension being recognised and discussed in some of
the work of the Autonomous Geographies project:
http://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/grants/RES-000-23-0957/read

I am not saying that this is what you want, Joyce. I do not read your
context below in that way. I just wish to be up-front about this issue.

In solidarity.

R.

From: ssc-bounces at lists.aktivix.org
[mailto:ssc-bounces at lists.aktivix.org] On Behalf Of Joss Winn
Sent: 14 September 2011 14:56
To: ssc at lists.aktivix.org
Subject: Re: [SSC] some thoughts

One possibility for the 'reflexive journals' is that people use the SSC
website blog for that purpose. It's available if you wish to publish
from it.

If you wish to be added as an author, please let me know
(joss at josswinn.org)

Joss

On 14 Sep 2011, at 14:18, Joyce Canaan wrote:

Hi all,

I am hoping to add to the document we so constructively discussed last
Saturday within the next few days.  One minor point from the email that
Joss sent:  can we start at 11am until 4pm as some people can't get
there until 11?

I have some additional thoughts I wanted us to discuss.I mentioned at
the meeting on Saturday that I would love to start researching the
process by which we are working (and would be keen to do so with
others).  To this end, can I suggest that we discuss the possibility of
voice recording our meetings so that it might be possible to analyse the
processes by which we are working together-and dealing with challenges
as and when they arrive--so that we can develop these processes more
effectively in future and share our insights with others trying to set
up similar projects? This would of course need consent from all. Second,
whether or not people feel comfortable with voice recordings,  might
some of us begin to create reflexive journals on the process itself and
its impact on other aspects of our lives? I ask this because I am
beginning to see that the thinking that we are doing together is helping
me realise how limiting the current HE system is and how my contribution
to the SSC stems from the strategies that I have been developing to cope
with and seek to transform this system.  My pleasure with our work comes
partly from recognising that we are  engaged in a process of creating
powerful alternative ontologies and epistemologies of and for all
aspects of the university as a process.  Thus our re-imagining and
reconstructing (or as Mike said elsewhere), 'reinventing' the social
sciences through thinking collectively, collaboratively, respectfully,
and learning from and with others who are at least in some ways
likeminded, fills me with pleasure, delight and energy.  I think it
would be interesting to explore what we are bringing to and getting from
this process as these factors are crucial to understanding what we are
engaged in creating.

Joyce

_______________________________________________
SSC mailing list
SSC at lists.aktivix.org
https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssc

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.aktivix.org/pipermail/ssc/attachments/20110920/a10faebb/attachment-0001.htm>

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:23:51 +0100
From: Andre Pusey <gyap at leeds.ac.uk>
To: "ssc at lists.aktivix.org" <ssc at lists.aktivix.org>
Subject: [SSC] really Open University  - The Space Project
Message-ID:
        <03FEE575BFE70B4AA3BB5014DC59648B01888B80DB94 at HERMES8.ds.leeds.ac.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear all,

Was sorry not to be able to make the SSC meeting in Lincoln, a few of us in Leeds involved with the ROU had hoped to come down.

Below are details of a new Really Open University initiative we are working on. It aims to find some space between social centres and projects such as the Social Science Centre.

Hope to make it to the next SSC meeting.

Best,
Andre

http://reallyopenuniversity.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/the-space-project/

The Space Project

We would like to invite you to an open meeting to help us shape a new vibrant venue for discussions, film showings, seminars, talks, workshops, reading groups, archives, enquiries and other creative projects.

The space will be close to Leeds City Centre hosting events that explore social change (broadly defined) in an engaged and participatory way. Facilitated by the Really Open University, we're seeking other groups and individuals who would like to contribute to the life of the space by hosting events and contributing to building a non-commercial, self-managed space in Leeds.

Do you have something you think you would like to do? Come along to our open meeting or please get in touch with us at wearethespaceproject at gmail.com<mailto:wearethespaceproject at gmail.com>

Where: The Space Project, 37-38 Mabgate green, Leeds
When: Tuesday October 4th 7:30pm
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123462997754485

The 'space project' will be run as a not-for-profit venture, with no paid staff and events being free or donations-only.

Andre Pusey
School of Geography
University of Leeds
(0113) 343 6757
gyap at leeds.ac.uk

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.aktivix.org/pipermail/ssc/attachments/20110920/0c8b0160/attachment-0001.htm>

------------------------------

_______________________________________________
SSC mailing list
SSC at lists.aktivix.org
https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/ssc

End of SSC Digest, Vol 9, Issue 14
**********************************