Comments on: How to attend a conference in a couple hours http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/ Notes and Queries in Anthropology — A Group Blog Fri, 25 May 2012 11:29:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: 2007 Highlights | Savage Minds http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-634122 2007 Highlights | Savage Minds Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:19:08 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-634122 [...] post on “how to read a good book in one hour,” Strong’s post about “how to attend a conference in a couple of hours,” and my post about how not to read a book at [...] [...] post on “how to read a good book in one hour,” Strong’s post about “how to attend a conference in a couple of hours,” and my post about how not to read a book at [...]

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]]> By: peanut http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-124062 peanut Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:00:40 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-124062 Chilled: I think when Strong wrote “I am inclined to say that being seen with your small children at a conference would be status-diminishing because it would expose holes in your social network, viz., your lack of good domestic help.“ He means that bringing your children to the conference might lower your status since it would show that you don't have a complete social network, NAMELY it would show that you don't have a good maid or child-care person or fancy pre-preschool to look after the children elsewhere. “viz.” means “namely.” Or, did you evaluate this comment using ckelty's reading methods and simply respond to the (indexed) presence of the words “children,“ “holes in your social network,“ and the oh-so-classically-not-to-say-sterotypically-male-homosexualness indexed by this devastatingly funny and absolutely satirical post's sassiness ? yoni: 1) I don't think “neoliberal” means what you think it means. 2) I think Strong's tongue might be lodged somewhere in his cheek, maybe. See above. 3) Why are you using the name “yoni?” It's a little 1980s Northern California vegetarian Caucasian-Hindu midwifery retreat or 1970s Vagino-feminist for my taste. But maybe I've over-fractalized my indieces a little too much? One way or another, as linguistic anthropologists and other fans of bakhtinian 'genre' like to point out, thinking about the “presentation” of texts (and things!), their voicings and what they index, is often all about thinking about their “social lives.” Chilled:
I think when Strong wrote “I am inclined to say that being seen with your small children at a conference would be status-diminishing because it would expose holes in your social network, viz., your lack of good domestic help.“ He means that bringing your children to the conference might lower your status since it would show that you don’t have a complete social network, NAMELY it would show that you don’t have a good maid or child-care person or fancy pre-preschool to look after the children elsewhere.
“viz.” means “namely.”
Or, did you evaluate this comment using ckelty’s reading methods and simply respond to the (indexed) presence of the words “children,“ “holes in your social network,“ and the oh-so-classically-not-to-say-sterotypically-male-homosexualness indexed by this devastatingly funny and absolutely satirical post’s sassiness ?

yoni:
1) I don’t think “neoliberal” means what you think it means.
2) I think Strong’s tongue might be lodged somewhere in his cheek, maybe. See above.
3) Why are you using the name “yoni?” It’s a little 1980s Northern California vegetarian Caucasian-Hindu midwifery retreat or 1970s Vagino-feminist for my taste. But maybe I’ve over-fractalized my indieces a little too much?
One way or another, as linguistic anthropologists and other fans of bakhtinian ‘genre’ like to point out, thinking about the “presentation” of texts (and things!), their voicings and what they index, is often all about thinking about their “social lives.”

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]]> By: Chilled http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-124031 Chilled Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:02:31 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-124031 I think there is a tendency to turn conferences into a fetish. Personally, I don't like them and I think as far as status is concerned - well all I can say, is some people are more prone to conferencing and others not. A bit like smoking in the seventies. Perhaps more time should be spent in the field rather than in offices, corridors and conferences. There is the performative aspect of conferencing for sure, but perhaps that is only in the ascendancy when good ideas are lacking - which in social and cultural anthropology right now - they are. Actually as far as developing ideas goes nothing really beats sitting for a few hours with someone, reading a book and thniking. Also as regards the comment regarding an anthropology of anthropology - well I thought that was what theory was all about. If theory demolishes the practice of anthropology then we can take a La "tour" escape as to its demise. Also, regarding children in the context of holes in social networks, well, either the author has not or is not bringing up children or his/her notion of social network is a little awry. In the field the peope I worked with welcomed my children but my children were a little more selective with who they would go to or with. I think there is a tendency to turn conferences into a fetish. Personally, I don’t like them and I think as far as status is concerned – well all I can say, is some people are more prone to conferencing and others not. A bit like smoking in the seventies. Perhaps more time should be spent in the field rather than in offices, corridors and conferences. There is the performative aspect of conferencing for sure, but perhaps that is only in the ascendancy when good ideas are lacking – which in social and cultural anthropology right now – they are. Actually as far as developing ideas goes nothing really beats sitting for a few hours with someone, reading a book and thniking. Also as regards the comment regarding an anthropology of anthropology – well I thought that was what theory was all about. If theory demolishes the practice of anthropology then we can take a La “tour” escape as to its demise. Also, regarding children in the context of holes in social networks, well, either the author has not or is not bringing up children or his/her notion of social network is a little awry. In the field the peope I worked with welcomed my children but my children were a little more selective with who they would go to or with.

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]]> By: yoni http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123602 yoni Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:13:49 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123602 excuse me, but this and ckelty's offerings seem a little too neoliberal for my tastes. how: the "best practices" and "lifehacker" approaches to concepts of productivity, efficiency and measuring your time in terms of cost-benefit participates utterly and breathtakingly in the neoliberal regime. building productivity scaffolds and fractilizing your indices may seem like timesavers on one level, but at the other they produce a deliciously ineffective and untextured subjectivity where more time is spent rethinking about the presentation of things instead of their "social life" (to paraphrase the latest brands). imho, and stuff. excuse me, but this and ckelty’s offerings seem a little too neoliberal for my tastes.

how: the “best practices” and “lifehacker” approaches to concepts of productivity, efficiency and measuring your time in terms of cost-benefit participates utterly and breathtakingly in the neoliberal regime. building productivity scaffolds and fractilizing your indices may seem like timesavers on one level, but at the other they produce a deliciously ineffective and untextured subjectivity where more time is spent rethinking about the presentation of things instead of their “social life” (to paraphrase the latest brands). imho, and stuff.

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]]> By: Rex http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123598 Rex Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:00:33 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123598 pc: hey your research looks fascinating! pc: hey your research looks fascinating!

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]]> By: Strong http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123575 Strong Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:53:00 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123575 <p>CKelty. Good question. Listen, I love children and especially babies (someone brought her 3-month-old son into the office yesterday and I was completely smitten). <em>However</em>: I am inclined to say that being seen with your small children at a conference would be status-diminishing because it would expose holes in your social network, viz., your lack of good domestic help. Moreover, having your children with you only magnifies and intensifies the problematics of guideline 1, because now you not only have to dress yourself, but you have to dress your kids too! AND, bringing older children along raises the question as to whether they should also be registered for the conference. Many associations actually offer special family rates for registration and provide special badges to children and spouses, which, again, only underscores the crucial significance of the name tag in the conference game. </p> <p>However, and again contrastively along lines indicated in the post, bringing along the children and then _critiquing_ the politics of childcare may in fact augment your worth, especially if you are principally using 'politics' as your marker of distinction and authenticity. Regarding children as ornaments in this fashion is no doubt an ethically and emotionally troubling proposition. Nonetheless, conference-goers must beware the status consequences of refusing to take into account these dynamics. Brutal – but true. :-)</p> <p>LL & Rex: I'm glad the spirit in which this was written is coming through.</p> CKelty. Good question. Listen, I love children and especially babies (someone brought her 3-month-old son into the office yesterday and I was completely smitten). However: I am inclined to say that being seen with your small children at a conference would be status-diminishing because it would expose holes in your social network, viz., your lack of good domestic help. Moreover, having your children with you only magnifies and intensifies the problematics of guideline 1, because now you not only have to dress yourself, but you have to dress your kids too! AND, bringing older children along raises the question as to whether they should also be registered for the conference. Many associations actually offer special family rates for registration and provide special badges to children and spouses, which, again, only underscores the crucial significance of the name tag in the conference game.

However, and again contrastively along lines indicated in the post, bringing along the children and then _critiquing_ the politics of childcare may in fact augment your worth, especially if you are principally using ‘politics’ as your marker of distinction and authenticity. Regarding children as ornaments in this fashion is no doubt an ethically and emotionally troubling proposition. Nonetheless, conference-goers must beware the status consequences of refusing to take into account these dynamics. Brutal – but true. :-)

LL & Rex: I’m glad the spirit in which this was written is coming through.

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]]> By: pc http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123566 pc Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:23:27 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123566 Oh, "bullshit" just means that he's calling out the fact that what conferences claim to be about (Ideas) is not in fact what they're about. Not necessarily a value judgment on their *actual* function. (But this is getting so meta I am not sure I know what I'm talking about anymore...) Oh, “bullshit” just means that he’s calling out the fact that what conferences claim to be about (Ideas) is not in fact what they’re about. Not necessarily a value judgment on their *actual* function. (But this is getting so meta I am not sure I know what I’m talking about anymore…)

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]]> By: L.L. Wynn http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123515 L.L. Wynn Wed, 03 Oct 2007 06:36:22 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123515 Strong, I repeatedly guffawed while reading this, but when I came to that image of Zizek I almost fell out of my chair. Brilliant, mate, brilliant. Towards an anthropology of anthropology! PS when I was on the job market and shortlisted at one state institution in the northeast U.S. which shall remain Unnamed (unless anybody asks me to name it), the chair of the search committee, who seemed to have decided that I was her pet favorite, informed me in a long telephone conversation prior to my visiting campus (the sole purpose of which seemed to be to prep me to perform well and thus confirm her decision that I was the best candidate) that I should be sure to wear a tweed skirt and a cashmere sweater for my job talk. She then proceeded to complain at length about how when she and her husband were hanging out with Clifford Geertz, she just couldn't *believe* how scruffy he looked and how disheveled his dress. She was simultaneously displaying her canny eptitude (there's an eggcorn for you) for name-dropping and at the same time showing an astonishingly un-anthropological appreciation for sartorial statements in academe. I didn't wear tweed. I didn't get the job. Strong, I repeatedly guffawed while reading this, but when I came to that image of Zizek I almost fell out of my chair. Brilliant, mate, brilliant. Towards an anthropology of anthropology!

PS when I was on the job market and shortlisted at one state institution in the northeast U.S. which shall remain Unnamed (unless anybody asks me to name it), the chair of the search committee, who seemed to have decided that I was her pet favorite, informed me in a long telephone conversation prior to my visiting campus (the sole purpose of which seemed to be to prep me to perform well and thus confirm her decision that I was the best candidate) that I should be sure to wear a tweed skirt and a cashmere sweater for my job talk. She then proceeded to complain at length about how when she and her husband were hanging out with Clifford Geertz, she just couldn’t *believe* how scruffy he looked and how disheveled his dress. She was simultaneously displaying her canny eptitude (there’s an eggcorn for you) for name-dropping and at the same time showing an astonishingly un-anthropological appreciation for sartorial statements in academe. I didn’t wear tweed. I didn’t get the job.

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]]> By: Rex http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123504 Rex Wed, 03 Oct 2007 05:37:16 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123504 You know the "Polyglot Conspiracy" blog has linked back to this post and framed it as if Strong was "calling bullshit" on conferences. But the wonderful thing about this entry is that this is exactly what it DOESN'T do. What about this post makes people think Strong thinks the fashion-conscious world of conferences is a BAD thing? :) You know the “Polyglot Conspiracy” blog has linked back to this post and framed it as if Strong was “calling bullshit” on conferences. But the wonderful thing about this entry is that this is exactly what it DOESN’T do. What about this post makes people think Strong thinks the fashion-conscious world of conferences is a BAD thing? :)

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]]> By: polyglot conspiracy » Calling bullsh*t on conferences http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123479 polyglot conspiracy » Calling bullsh*t on conferences Wed, 03 Oct 2007 02:16:22 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123479 [...] and AoIR). Both should be great fun. But they will only nominally be about Ideas, according to Thomas Strong’s post at Savage Minds. Which, however brutal it seems, I have to agree with about 85% of (based on my very limited [...] [...] and AoIR). Both should be great fun. But they will only nominally be about Ideas, according to Thomas Strong’s post at Savage Minds. Which, however brutal it seems, I have to agree with about 85% of (based on my very limited [...]

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]]> By: Kerim http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123474 Kerim Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:48:16 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123474 Tim: The best way is to skip the article itself and just read the comments. Tim: The best way is to skip the article itself and just read the comments.

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]]> By: Rex http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123472 Rex Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:32:42 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123472 Devastating Strong. Devastating. Devastating Strong. Devastating.

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]]> By: ckelty http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123467 ckelty Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:12:47 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123467 with two hours like this, who needs a whole weekend :) what you haven't addressed is how to accomplish the same when you have children. Rule #1: be seen with your child at the bar, or have your child watch Dora on a laptop while you give the paper (cf. "your paper is unimportant") thus intimidating peers into believing that not only are you incredibly hip (your duke press bag proves it), but you manage to do so while being a mom. or a dad. Rule #2, however, is never to be seen with your partner (who is not giving a paper) taking care of your child while you schmooze because this is an instant indication that You Are Not Enlightened. with two hours like this, who needs a whole weekend :)

what you haven’t addressed is how to accomplish the same when you have children. Rule #1: be seen with your child at the bar, or have your child watch Dora on a laptop while you give the paper (cf. “your paper is unimportant”) thus intimidating peers into believing that not only are you incredibly hip (your duke press bag proves it), but you manage to do so while being a mom. or a dad. Rule #2, however, is never to be seen with your partner (who is not giving a paper) taking care of your child while you schmooze because this is an instant indication that You Are Not Enlightened.

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]]> By: Pith helmet http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123462 Pith helmet Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:45:04 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123462 tl;dr tl;dr

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]]> By: Tim http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/comment-page-1/#comment-123438 Tim Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:18:41 +0000 http://savageminds.org/2007/10/02/how-to-attend-a-conference-in-a-couple-hours/#comment-123438 What I am hoping for now is someone to tell me how to read long blog posts in less than a minute. What I am hoping for now is someone to tell me how to read long blog posts in less than a minute.

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