[An-lang] A note on conference planning and who can participate

[Yuko Kitada]

Dear colleagues,

This is not a complaint, and it is not about any one conference. I would simply like us to think together about how we plan future conferences. I am writing to the list rather than only to conference organizers because venue choice is not just a matter for a steering committee, an organizing committee, or an individual organizer. When the community votes, or when bids are accepted in our name, the criteria belong to all of us.

I have substantial caregiving responsibilities as well as a decline in my own health. My capacity for travel, long transfer chains, and unpredictable logistics is limited. I still want to do research, and I still want scholarly exchange. I am not asking for an individual exception. For some of us, the difference between joining and staying home is not lack of interest. It is whether a meeting can be planned with a realistic amount of physical and logistical energy.

There are several legitimate aims in our field. On-site meetings close to the languages and communities we study can support local researchers and training. Rotation and successful bids from more remote institutions will continue to happen. I do not dismiss those aims.

What I ask concerns inclusivity in conference organization. By that I do not mean national, ethnic, or racial diversity as a display, or a count of host countries. I mean an environment in which people can take part regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race, or disability, and also regardless of caregiving duties or limited health. This is a matter of respect, and of the right to take part in scholarly exchange, not of pity for those who find travel hard. Central meetings in our field are precisely where ease of access should be considered by all of us. If more of us keep in mind those for whom travel is hard—less burdensome travel distance, time, and means of transport, and some space for remote or lighter forms of participation—bids that more people can actually reach are more likely to succeed. Remote participation can help, but it should not be the only answer to “if you cannot come, then do not come.” “Just get there” is not a small extra cost for everyone.

I offer this as one view from someone for whom travel is hard, and I hope it can be taken into account in how we plan conferences from now on.


With best wishes,

Yuko Kitada
yukokitada at outlook.com


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/an-lang/attachments/20261112/81217d31/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
An-lang mailing list
An-lang at anu.edu.au
https://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/an-lang