[Linganth] Options

[Richard J Senghas]

At 8:24 AM -0500 10/24/04, monaghan at indiana.edu wrote:
>Many thanks to Kerim for passing on information from AAAUnite and
>http://aaaunite.blogspot.com.  A number of people seem to be having e-mail
>problems these days so information seems to be hard to get out just when we
>most need it.
>
>What are members considering doing about the AAAs proposals in reaction to the
>lockout/srike of workers at the San Francisco Hilton?  What is the Society of
>Linguistic Anthropology's board's opinions on these meetings?
>
><snip>
>I would love to know what other people on this list were thinking on these
>issues, I'm still sorting through the options myself.


Hey Leila & All,

I sent the following to the CAE list yesterday.  (CAE is another AAA
unit, the Council on Anthropology & Education.)  Given Leila's
request, I'm reposting it here, too.

-Richard

.................................................................................................

Colleagues,

I am very disappointed with the Atlanta decision, for I feel that it
is an ineffective ethical compromise, as has been argued by others,
and creates more logistical problems for participants than it
mitigates.  I encourage you all to follow your conscience with regard
to attending the meetings in Atlanta.  I know each potential
participant has unique circumstances, and that the decision is
complex.  I do encourage an alternate venue in the Bay Area for those
of us who wish to still have professional meetings this year without
supporting the Hilton system.  Can we reach out to other units, such
as the Society for Linguistic Anthropology, who frequently examine
issues of language, ideology, and educational issues, and combine
efforts?

Looking to the longer term, as a member of CAE & several other units
within the AAA, and a life-member of the AAA, I don't see having a
separate CAE unit annual meeting as inherently indicative of schism.
I would encourage the CAE to explore having a smaller annual meeting
for its unit, while still participating within the AAA and going to
the AAA annual meetings, too.  No need for an exclusive-or (XOR)
option, why not an inclusive AND operation?

If the CAE meetings were regularly held in smaller-scale environments
(e.g., at local colleges or universities) during semester breaks (not
mid-semesters), and in locations that are distant from the AAA
meetings (to allow those unable to travel far to have more options to
attend more frequently), then we have an opportunity for far more
inclusiveness than what we have now.  We could also allow much LONGER
papers, 20-30 minutes (or more!) for many more participants, not just
a handful of keynote speakers.  We could also invite local
practitioners adn educational administrators (outside of our
professional organizations) to attend with much less expensive
registration fees, thereby helping to disseminate our discipline's
contributions to advancing education.  Wouldn't that be a boon?

Respectfully,

-Richard
--
======================================================================
Richard J. Senghas, Assoc. Professor     | Sonoma State University
Chair, Dept. of Anthropology/Linguistics | 1801 East Cotati Avenue
Coordinator, Linguistics Program         | Rohnert Park, CA 94928-3609
Richard.Senghas at sonoma.edu               | 707-664-3920 (fax)