Reposting message from last week

[Alice Freed]

This is a fairly long message that I wrote and tried to post last
week but the server was down for several days and it was returned
to me undelivered. I don't know if it was finally posted or not;
I know that I never saw it. I apologize for how long a message
this is -- especially if it is the second time it is being posted.

     Our discussion regarding the formation and development of an
organization for the study of gender and language seems to have
fallen off completely. I know that as summer approaches most
people scatter but I suspect many of us are still reading e-mail.
I am going to throw caution to the wind and make a bold
suggestion about where we should go with this. I suspect the
facilitators of this list feel some understandable level of
frustration at not being able to keep the discussion going. As
much as I endorse the principles of feminist-based democratic
discussion, I fear that it works best with small groups and/or
face to face. Therefore I am going to suggest something a bit
less democratic.

     I suggest that the facilitators change directions and just
boldly state that an organization is being formed which will act
as a clearing house for work on language, sex, and gender, will
publish a journal (virtual and/or  paper -- I prefer paper), and
will have the status of a non-profit organization. This approach
admittedly abandons the worthy ideal of having everyone
participate in getting the organization started but it doesn't
seem to be working.

     What I would like to suggest is that we/you/someone take a
position on the sort of organization GALA (or whatever we choose
to call it) will be and then see who wants to join. As they said
in the movie "Fields of Dreams" -- build it and they will come.
Although we have successfully completed the discussion of and
have voted on agenda items 1a and 1b, if my memory serves me,
only 25 people voted the first time and only 15 the second time.

     Here is what has already been decided. (I am copying what
was posted as summaries of the first two votes but someone might
want to verify that what I have included is accurate.)

     	A.  COMMUNICATION:

     	1.  We will keep the E-mail list operative after the six
months of discussion have ended.

     	B. PLANS FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

     	- When the discussion ends in six months, we call for
nominations for the first executive committee with a one-year
term of office.
	- We hold an online election.
	- The committee takes the principles that emerged during
the discussion and drafts by-laws for the organization, sets up
an institutional structure (non-profit status and the like), and
otherwise gets things rolling.
	- We commit to considering diversity (geographical and
otherwise) as we talk about the scope (international) of the
organization.

     	C.  SORT OF STRUCTURE TO BE IMPLEMENTED.

     	Structure and implementation should emerge from the
membership's discussion of each agenda item as it arises, *and*
by looking at the structures of other organizations.

     	GOALS

     	1. The goal of GALA is to be the primary professional
organization for issues, questions, and research related to
language and gender as a field of study and as a topic of public
importance. In this regard it will be analogous in status to
other professional associations, such as the Linguistic Society
of America (but this does not mean that GALA will necessarily be
a U.S. organization). It will be a central clearinghouse,
think-tank, and business office for "language and gender
research", however this is defined.

     	2. An additional goal of GALA is to serve as a formal
networking place for people who are doing fieldwork, specifically
language and gender fieldwork, and to provide support for
acquisition of original language and gender data.

     	3. GALA will be more than a virtual (i.e.,
Internet-based) organization; it will sponsor activities and have
non-profit status.

     SUGGESTION FOR ACTION:

     I suggest that you keep what has been agreed on and build on
that, except for the idea of continuing the discussion for six
months (since the discussion is just not taking place). I suggest
that the facilitators decide where to go with this organization,
post their plan, and move ahead. Individuals can then vote up or
down on the whole package to get the organization going. Once the
organization is actually formed, details can be ironed out and
changes can be made.

     UNRESOLVED ISSUES:

     There have been several issues that have been discussed but
not resolved. Below I am including my own view of some of these
topics.

     1. By definition language and gender research is
interdisciplinary. There doesn't really seem to be a debate about
this. It includes the study of language and other aspects of
human social existence.

     2. Also by definition, our interests are international.
Whether the organization is based in the USA or not, the goals
and areas of interest are global. This doesn't mean that each
researcher works "globally" but we certainly want to encourage
research on and from all parts of the world.

     3. I think many (most?) researchers engaged in this area of
study, whether they call themselves feminist or not, have what we
might all agree are feminist inclinations. For me the precise
nature of the definition is not of any importance but I also
don't think we need to shy away from the word. I agree with
Debbie Cameron that if there is good work being done that
addresses what we are interested in, then we should be informed
about it whether or not we "agree" with its thesis. But that
doesn't mean that we can't have a feminist orientation as do most
women's studies organizations and journals.

     For me, "feminist" means something related to both theory
and practice. The theoretical: the pursuit and creation of new
knowledge resulting from the investigation of new questions and
diverse experiences that have been neglected by traditional
scholarship because these were established according to male norms.
(white, heterosexist male norms.) The practical: This
knowledge should be used to create a world in which issues
related to sex and gender difference are minimized (eliminated?)
and equal opportunities and possibilities exist for everyone.
(How could anyone disagree with this?!)

     4. What I would most like to see beyond the sorts of things
outlined above is a journal that deals specifically with rigorous
theoretical and/or data-based work on language, sex and gender.
No such journal presently exists.


     Alice Freed