[SSC] SSC Digest, Vol 17, Issue 4

Wed May 2 12:57:03 UTC 2012

Hi All

As a recent new member (joining after the open day and attending my first meeting last week), I'm not sure I've been around long enough to really contribute to the debate. However I would just like to add that if I hadn't been notified by a friend in Cardiff, who had seen some of the press coverage on the morning of the open day, I wouldn't have come along and become a member. Not sure this really answers any of your points Sarah about principles, pedagogy, etc. sorry!

Cheers
Mike Ward

________________________________

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Subject: SSC Digest, Vol 17, Issue 4

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: SSC Digest, Vol 16, Issue 40 (Richard Keeble)

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

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 08:59:03 +0100
From: "Richard Keeble" <rkeeble at lincoln.ac.uk>
To: "Sarah Amsler" <simonewright73 at googlemail.com>,
        <ssc at lists.aktivix.org>
Subject: Re: [SSC] SSC Digest, Vol 16, Issue 40
Message-ID:
        <6A2C225F32AD154D9D822F00DF34D8CB04C0849F at AEXCMS02.network.uni>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear all,
Excellent thoughts, Sarah. Clearly the way in which we deal with the
mainstream (and alternative) media will reflect our non-hierarchical
principles. It's important then that as many members/scholars be
involved in this activity as possible - it not being restricted to a few
"spokespeople".
I might suggest two people (one male - and John Andrews has already
offered -  and one female) be put forward for this interview by BBC
Breakfast.
As part of this interview the scholars might want to mention this aspect
of our activities - in this way performing the 'pedagogical' role
mentioned by Sarah.
Ideally I'd like to get this sorted by this Friday...
Best wishes,
Richard

________________________________

From: ssc-bounces at lists.aktivix.org
[mailto:ssc-bounces at lists.aktivix.org] On Behalf Of Sarah Amsler
Sent: 27 April 2012 11:03
To: ssc at lists.aktivix.org
Subject: Re: [SSC] SSC Digest, Vol 16, Issue 40

Dear all,

I have been following the discussion about representation, visibility,
and the request from the BBC. Apologies in advance for the long
reflection here.

On the one hand, I have reservations about the way the project and our
work on the ground gets mediated, particularly through mainstream media.
I would like to hold on to, and be mindful of, discussions we've begun
this week about timing -- whose time frames and senses of urgency or
interest we want to be part of and legitimise; what our own senses of
time and possibility are. As David asks, this is part of the ongoing
process of discovery of 'who' 'we' 'are' (if there can be any such
unity, and I would worry if there was an easy answer to this just now).

At the same time, I think highly of Joss's and David's points about
creating or contributing to spaces where we might be able to make these
sorts of considerations, or at the very least some critical perspectives
on the state of higher education, the politics of knowledge, the
alternative educational activities that are going on all over the place,
more visible. We organise plenty of conferences for academics, plenty of
workshops for people who are already engaged in these debates and/or
creating alternatives. But the issues and the possibilities are not
necessarily intelligible beyond these spaces. I don't know about others,
but I, for example, struggle to make sense of it even for people in my
immediate family who are not educationalists, academics, students or
anticapitalist activists. Throwing ourselves into some part of the world
at the Collection is one way of trying to create space to do this, and I
think it's a good one in many ways. Perhaps some wider visibility
through such mediation could be another, but I think this is not without
its limitations and contradictions.

My concern is that mainstream media and in particular a 'feature story'
mode of visibility may not be entirely conducive to enabling the sort of
dialogue that at least some people involved may think important, around
the purpose and work of the Social Science Centre. I am not sure whether
it enables real dialogue at all. But if people felt they could make this
work somehow without getting enfolded into dominant logics of existing
ways of framing debates about higher education and society, then fine.
The question for me would be, how might we make it pedagogical?
'Prefigurative politics' is a name for trying to create different ways
of doing things here and now, with what we've got. Is there a
prefigurative sort of politics that might be possible for something like
a BBC interview?

I feel strongly that if any group of people in the SSC is to take this
up, then we should at least discuss it with our colleagues and comrades
working in other projects. On the one hand, throwing everyone together
into a short feature piece would in my opinion do more harm than good to
the overall movement and to each of the individual alternatives, which
are, as we saw at the 'FUN' meeting in Birmingham, very different
indeed. On the other hand, I think accepting the invitation as if the
SSC is some sort of exemplar of 'an alternative', working in a vacuum or
some other popular vanguardist narrative would be an even worse
political, pedagogical and ethical mistake. On a third hand, if there
could be some serious and informed presentation of the different
projects, then that could be a really great thing.

None of this is original. While obviously from a very different context,
I like the following:

'We have a choice. We can have a cynical attitude in the face of the
media and say that nothing can be done about the dollar power that
creates itself in image, words, digital communication, and computer
systems that invade not just with an invasion of power but with a way of
seeing the world, of how they think the world should look. We could say,
"well, that's the way it is," and do nothing. Or we can simply assume
incredulity. We can say that any communication by the media monopolies
is a total lie. We can ignore it and go about our lives. But there is a
third option that is neither conformity, nor skepticism, nor distrust.
It's the option to construct a different way: to show the world what is
really happening, to have a critical worldview, to become interseted in
the truth of what happens to the people who inhabit every corner of this
world. The work of the independent media is to...' ('On independent
media', a message from Subcommondante Insurgente Marcos to 'Free Media'
teach-in, NYC, 1997)

Can an interview be autonomous, pedagogical, opening-up possibilities
for people beyond this discussion list and the current membership of the
SSC? If so, good, and how so? I'd be interested to discuss.

Those are my two cents for now.

Best
Sarah

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

        Message: 3
        Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:17:32 +0100
        From: "Richard Keeble" <rkeeble at lincoln.ac.uk>
        To: "Richard Hall" <RHall1 at dmu.ac.uk>,  <ssc at lists.aktivix.org>
        Subject: [SSC] Representation
        Message-ID:

<6A2C225F32AD154D9D822F00DF34D8CB04C082D5 at AEXCMS02.network.uni>
        Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="us-ascii"

        Dear all,
        I have received this invite from the BBC Breakfast team (see
below).
        Given the discussion yesterday about how we represent ourselves
to the
        media, how would you like us to proceed?
        Would someone offer themselves to be interviewed and filmed?
        Bestest,
        Richard

------------------------------------------------------------------------
        --------
        From: Claire Kendall [mailto:claire.kendall at bbc.co.uk]
        Sent: 26 April 2012 16:42
        To: Richard Keeble
        Subject: BBC News

        Dear Professor Keeble,

        I read recently, on the BBC Lincolnshire website, about your
plans to
        start a free university, offering courses to students who will
struggle
        with the high tuition fees coming in this year.

        I work with Chris Buckler, UK Affairs Correspondent for BBC
News. I'd be
        interested in some more information about your plans, with a
view to
        offering BBC Breakfast a piece, featuring some filming and an
interview
        with you. The report also mentioned that you'd been to a
conference in
        Birmingham recently, where you'd heard of others planning
something
        similar to yourself...which I'd also be interested in any
details on.

        Many thanks for any help you can offer,

        Best wishes,

        Claire

        Claire Kendall

        UK Affairs producer

        BBC News

        07703 205806

        claire.kendall at bbc.co.uk

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

        Message: 4
        Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:16:56 +0100
        From: Joss Winn <joss at josswinn.org>
        To: "ssc at lists.aktivix.org ssc at lists.aktivix.org"
               <ssc at lists.aktivix.org>
        Subject: Re: [SSC] Representation
        Message-ID: <7EDF94A6-C2FC-4D1F-9CFE-83B81A96B5F6 at josswinn.org>
        Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

        Richard,

        I am not offering myself to be interviewed, but I think that if
you or other members wish to speak to the BBC, you should. It sounds
like they want to do a general piece on different groups and
organisations that are experimenting with higher education in the face
of the cuts and tuition fee rises. That is a good thing. If we do get
involved, we should be prepared for lots of follow up interest on the
back of it. The open day publicity has generated lots of emails that
need answering (as you know!), 25 new members, 800+ hits on the website
over the weekend and (it feels to me) a gear change in our activity
around the SSC.

        If you do the interview, I may need help with the SSC Inbox!

        Following our conversations at last night's meeting, I would
encourage you to play down your role at the University of Lincoln (it
may also be unwanted publicity for the university), but ultimately it's
your call. This may actually be a time when an SSC member not connected
to the University of Lincoln is better placed to talk to the media?

        Joss

        >
        >
        Message: 6
        Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:23:05 +0100
        From: David McAleavey <davidmcaleavey at virginmedia.com>
        To: Richard Keeble <rkeeble at lincoln.ac.uk>
        Cc: ssc at lists.aktivix.org
        Subject: Re: [SSC] Representation
        Message-ID:

<CADx5COrq_z9b=tm5XfhV-4ejaJQUcYEyaCLhmSKJoSEQYTc2PQ at mail.gmail.com>
        Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

        Dear All,

        I agree with Joss that we should respond positively to the
invitation, and
        I think we should involve the other FUN programmes asap by
inviting them to
        comment ahead of the researcher contacting them, as they might
value the
        opportunity to reflect on their position about being in public,
their
        relation to the SSC, the BBC, their respective 'day jobs'...
before the BBC
        email appears in their respective inboxes... I thought Edwin's
reflections
        last night on the feeling of being bounced (and in Edwin's case
learning
        how to resist!) into the media's time frames/game was a valuable
one.

        Gosh, that is a clumsy paragraph!

        My feeling is that a student scholar, and a teaching scholar,
should
        represent us (the SSC) whenever possible; and on this occasion
(an
        establishing item/feature on the BBC about Socially Engaged
Education
        Practice), an active member(s) from one of the parallel
programmes MUST be
        included. We (the SSC) will insist!

        So, to all SSC Scholars... any volunteers?

        Respectfully yours,

        David

        PS

        Joss, I will share the mail bag!

        So, 'who' are 'we'?

The University of Lincoln - a top performer in student satisfaction, enjoying an unrivalled ascent through the University league tables, set in a dynamic, research rich and vibrant campus in the heart of a great historic student-friendly city.

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End of SSC Digest, Vol 17, Issue 4
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The University of Lincoln - a top performer in student satisfaction, enjoying an unrivalled ascent through the University league tables, set in a dynamic, research rich and vibrant campus in the heart of a great historic student-friendly city.

The information in this e-mail and any attachments may be confidential. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and remove it from your system. Do not disclose the contents to another person or take copies.

Email is not secure and may contain viruses. The University of Lincoln makes every effort to ensure email is sent without viruses, but cannot guarantee this and recommends recipients take appropriate precautions.

The University may monitor email traffic data and content in accordance with its policies and English law. Further information can be found at: http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/legal.
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