<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
I strongly second Martin's plea to vote AGAINST the code of conduct,
for the reasons that he outlines, and others.<br>
<br>
At the ALT meeting in Padang, one of the participants, a woman from
a European country, came to one of the plenary events in a thin,
loose and revealing dress, and rubber flip flops. This was
offensive to the local participants, both with respect to the amount
of flesh revealed, and also the implied lack of respect that this
showed to the local hosts. So should the proposed code of conduct
include a dress code? Admittedly, there's no mention of clothing in
the proposed text, but it does say that harassment is "not limited
to" the items that it explicitly lists, and in the eyes of some of
the local participants, this was similar in principle (if not,
perhaps, in severity) to Harvey Weinstein exposing himself.<br>
<br>
As typologists, we should be more sensitive to cross-cultural
variation with respect to matters such as these. As local organizer
of the Padang meeting, I informed participants of local customs and
sensitivities with regard to clothing. Participants then had the
choice of taking these sensitivities into account in their
behaviour, or alternatively ignoring them, or perhaps even flouting
them intentionally, in order to make a point. (In my own behaviour,
I choose to follow the local customs, partly out of respect, partly
for purely practical reasons. Sometimes, though, I wish I had the
energy to show up barefoot, in shorts and t-shirt, in order to make
the point that I want to be respected for my character, not for my
clothing.) <br>
<br>
But there's just no way any or all of this can be encapsulated into
a "code of conduct": it's both impractical and immoral. Whose
culture would be represented in the code of conduct? Mine, yours,
theirs? If we proscribe anything that's offensive to anybody, then
we won't be able to do anything — quite literally. I know of no way
to blow one's nose that isn't offensive to either Indonesians or
Europeans. The way these codes of conduct are shaping up (I say
"these codes" because it isn't just ALT), it's turning out to be a
codification of an influential subculture of Anglo-American norms as
they happen to be in the mid 2010s that is being imposed on all of
the rest of the world.<br>
<br>
Sure, there are universals. Rape is abhorrent. However, this is
covered in the laws of most countries where ALT meets; we don't need
to replicate such laws in a code of conduct. But how do we deal
with all the cases that aren't quite as bad as rape, but are worse
than blowing your nose the wrong way? <br>
<br>
Some of us think it's important to begin a presentation of one's
linguistic work with a couple of slides showing some of the speakers
to whom we are indebted. But according to the proposed code of
conduct, one of the items constituting harassment is "Presentation
of sexual images in public spaces". Somebody please tell me: who
gets to decide whether an image is sexual or not? Whose dress code
do we follow? As we all know, some cultures are rather skimpy in
the clothes department ... And what if a gesture in the image
happens to have a sexual meaning in the culture of one of the ALT
participants. Oh and what if the talk is a talk on, say, the
language of sex? Or is that now completely forbidden?<br>
<br>
I would suggest that when people of different cultures get together,
a process of behavioural negotiation takes place that is actually
not too dissimilar from what we as linguists observe when speakers
of different languages get together. (I am reminded of the
experiment by Ulrike Zeshan in which she brought together four
signers of different sign languages in order to see what would
happen.) <br>
<br>
Most of us are good people who try and get things right, though
sometimes we make mistakes. A few of us are rotten apples, but we
don't need a code of conduct to tell us that, or to help us deal
with them. Instead of a code of conduct, what we need is common
sense.<br>
<br>
Some of the ethical issues that we are touching upon here are quite
profound, and are being grappled with by society as a whole.
Foremost amongst these issues is how we reconcile our support for
cultural diversity with our belief that some things are simply
wrong, wherever you are. There are no easy answers to questions
such as this. But a code of conduct pretends to offer just that
kind of easy answer. Which is why I am against it. <br>
<br>
To those of you who support such a code, I offer a challenge: How
should the proposed code have dealt with that European linguist in
Padang, with the revealing dress and the rubber thongs? Please
explain your answer.<br>
<br>
David<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 20/11/2017 21:09, Martin Haspelmath
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:5A12E22C.8050803@shh.mpg.de" type="cite">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
Thanks to the EC for its efforts, but I would strongly urge all
ALT members to vote AGAINST the code of conduct.<br>
<br>
Such codes of conduct may be needed, but the present formulation
is incompatible with free science.<br>
<br>
There is no definition of "harrassment" (just some examples of
what harrassment is), and the formulation "offensive comments
related to aspects of identity" is terribly vague. <br>
<br>
On the basis of such a code of conduct, almost anything that is
controversial could be construed as violating the code, so anyone
could be expelled from the conference, even though they are trying
to make a serious contribution to science.<br>
<br>
It's completely unclear who has the authority to "find conference
participants in violation", and how participants could defend
themselves if wrongly accused. I would not want to attend a
conference with such rules, as I would not feel safe to express my
(potentially controversial) scientific ideas.<br>
<br>
So the present formulation is completely counterproductive and
dangerous for ALT.<br>
<br>
I am aware that in Anglo-American culture, such codes of conduct
are more and more widespread, but there are big cultural
differences. In most parts of the world, precarious employment and
restrictions on travel are much more urgent problems that are
worth thinking about. I suggest that ALT's EC consider also other
options to make people feel welcome at ALT conferences, e.g. to
increase the participation fees for participants from rich
countries substantially, in order to alleviate the outrageous
obstacles to conference participation that many (potential) ALT
members face.<br>
<br>
I'm all for addressing the problem of harrassment, but only if it
clear what exactly consitutes harrassment, and if there is no
threat of expelling participants from ALT conferences. (Or if
there is such a threat, then there should be a due process, as
we're used to in free societies, rather than an arbitrary decision
by some unspecified authority.) Maybe there should be a larger
discussion at the ALT conference, or on the LINGTYP List.<br>
<br>
Best wishes,<br>
Martin<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 20.11.17 14:24, Kristine
Hildebrandt wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAPro=TriKn=yUArxSw4nqq=aq_c=C7ZQH0zYjZQNAax0wQp19Q@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>Dear ALT members:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We have two important items up for vote. Both items are
contained in a single electronic ballot, which can be found
here:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><a moz-do-not-send="true" class="gmail-survey-link
gmail-ng-binding" target="_blank"
href="https://siue.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6id2p5qEU7W3tzf"
style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Qualtrics
Grotesque","Helvetica
Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,122,192);text-decoration-line:none;outline:none;font-size:17px;text-align:center">https://siue.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6id2p5qEU7W3tzf</a><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This link allows you to vote exactly once, and the origin
of the vote is untraceable (ie. the vote is anonymous to me
when I collect the results).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Item 1:</div>
<div>Of the six current Executive Committee members, three are
rotating off, and need to be replaced (Felix Ameka, Isabelle
Bril, Keren Rice). Three continue for another term: Silvia
Luraghi, Stepehen Matthews, Felicity Meakins.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The ALT nominating committee identified and consulted
with three nominees for the EC: Mark Dingemanse, Rachel
Nordlinger, and Ljuba Veselinova.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>When you go the e-ballot, you will see brief bio-sketches
of the three nominees. You can vote for all three together,
or for any individual. And even if you do not vote for any
nominee, you can still vote on Item #2 (below).</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We are grateful to both the outgoing EC members, and to
the Nominating Committee (Nick Enfield, Nina Dobrushina,
Martin Haspelmath, and Claire Bowern) for their work for
ALT.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Item 2:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The ALT Officers (Jeff Good, Dmitry Idiatov, and me), in
consultation with the EC have drawn up a code of conduct
statement to be added to the ALT statutes. Please vote
either for or against the adoption of this code.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><b>Voting is now open as of this email. The deadline to
vote is Tuesday December 5 at 5pm Central Standard Time.</b></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Thank you!</div>
-- <br>
<div class="gmail_signature">
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">Orche<br>
('Thanks' in Manange)
<div><br>
<i>Kristine A. Hildebrandt</i></div>
<div><i style="font-size:12.8px">Associate
Professor, <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/english/"
target="_blank">Department of
English Language & Literature</a></i><i><br>
</i></div>
<div><i>Secretary, <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.linguistic-typology.org/"
target="_blank">Association for
Linguistic Typology</a><br>
</i></div>
<div><i>Editor, <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://escholarship.org/uc/himalayanlinguistics" target="_blank">Himalayan
Linguistics</a></i></div>
<div><span style="font-size:small">Check
out our </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://mananglanguages.isg.siue.edu/"
style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:small" target="_blank">Manang
Languages</a><span
style="font-size:small"> project page!</span><br>
</div>
<div><i>Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville</i>
<div><i>Box 1431<br>
Edwardsville, IL 62026 U.S.A.<br>
618-650-3991 (department voicemail)</i>
<div><i><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:khildeb@siue.edu"
target="_blank">khildeb@siue.edu</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.siue.edu/%7Ekhildeb"
target="_blank">http://www.siue.edu/~khildeb</a></i></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
<br>
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Lingtyp mailing list
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org">Lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org</a>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp">http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Martin Haspelmath (<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:haspelmath@shh.mpg.de">haspelmath@shh.mpg.de</a>)
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Kahlaische Strasse 10
D-07745 Jena
&
Leipzig University
IPF 141199
Nikolaistrasse 6-10
D-04109 Leipzig
</pre>
<br>
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
<br>
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Lingtyp mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org">Lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp">http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
David Gil
Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
Email: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:gil@shh.mpg.de">gil@shh.mpg.de</a>
Office Phone (Germany): +49-3641686834
Mobile Phone (Indonesia): +62-81281162816
</pre>
</body>
</html>