Comments on: Blogging, women, and a swipe at ’90s gender psychology http://exad.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/blogging-women-and-a-swipe-at-90s-gender-psychology/ A student of English lit tries to make it from ABD to Ph.D. Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:16:01 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: k8 http://exad.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/blogging-women-and-a-swipe-at-90s-gender-psychology/#comment-305 k8 Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:06:05 +0000 http://exad.wordpress.com/?p=63#comment-305 I know you don't particularly care of meme-like things, but I just gave you an award over at my place. Enjoy! I know you don’t particularly care of meme-like things, but I just gave you an award over at my place. Enjoy!

]]> By: Mike Shapiro http://exad.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/blogging-women-and-a-swipe-at-90s-gender-psychology/#comment-302 Mike Shapiro Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:39:27 +0000 http://exad.wordpress.com/?p=63#comment-302 My thinking about this goes back to Ivan Tribble, sadly. The simplistic binaries of academic v. non-academic blogging seems to bear some relationship to the sorts of binaries that drive academic life itself: since academic work creeps into all the corners of our lives, at least in the humanities, there is always the danger that we will frighten away potential employers by revealing how human we are. The response to this pressure that you describe—compartmentalization—seems to me to be so overwhelmingly common as to be nearly universal. This gets me wondering, then, what studies there have been into gender differences in work/life compartmentalization: surely some sociologist has compared the number of family photos in office park cubicles... My thinking about this goes back to Ivan Tribble, sadly. The simplistic binaries of academic v. non-academic blogging seems to bear some relationship to the sorts of binaries that drive academic life itself: since academic work creeps into all the corners of our lives, at least in the humanities, there is always the danger that we will frighten away potential employers by revealing how human we are. The response to this pressure that you describe—compartmentalization—seems to me to be so overwhelmingly common as to be nearly universal.

This gets me wondering, then, what studies there have been into gender differences in work/life compartmentalization: surely some sociologist has compared the number of family photos in office park cubicles…

]]> By: k8 http://exad.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/blogging-women-and-a-swipe-at-90s-gender-psychology/#comment-301 k8 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:03:56 +0000 http://exad.wordpress.com/?p=63#comment-301 Hmmm. The thing is, I've seen many academic blogs written by men that include writing about everyday life and, the thing that marks female bloggers, Pictures Of Cats!!! Heaven forbid an academic female blogger post a cat picture - she can't possibly be a serious academic. All kidding and hyperbole aside, I always find it interesting when people try to define the "academic blog" or the "blogger who is an academic." Didn't we move past simplistic binaries years ago? Granted, my own blog leans more toward the personal. Part of that is just because of who I am, but it is also because I don't like to blog about the specifics of my dissertation when 1) the dissertation isn't done, and 2) the dissertation material hasn't been published in some form or other. My project is fairly unique and I don't want to encourage poachers. I imagine that more established scholars don't have as much to fear in this regard. But, I do have an official/professional web site that is all academic - more like an online teaching and research portfolio. Maybe that's how I deal with the situation. I compartmentalize at one location and have more of a mix at the other. I don't know if it really has that much to do with gender in my situation. Or maybe it does and I'm just not aware of it. I do think it has more to do with my current lack of power in the academic hierarchy - at least, to some extent. Hmmm. The thing is, I’ve seen many academic blogs written by men that include writing about everyday life and, the thing that marks female bloggers, Pictures Of Cats!!! Heaven forbid an academic female blogger post a cat picture – she can’t possibly be a serious academic.

All kidding and hyperbole aside, I always find it interesting when people try to define the “academic blog” or the “blogger who is an academic.” Didn’t we move past simplistic binaries years ago?

Granted, my own blog leans more toward the personal. Part of that is just because of who I am, but it is also because I don’t like to blog about the specifics of my dissertation when 1) the dissertation isn’t done, and 2) the dissertation material hasn’t been published in some form or other. My project is fairly unique and I don’t want to encourage poachers. I imagine that more established scholars don’t have as much to fear in this regard. But, I do have an official/professional web site that is all academic – more like an online teaching and research portfolio.

Maybe that’s how I deal with the situation. I compartmentalize at one location and have more of a mix at the other. I don’t know if it really has that much to do with gender in my situation. Or maybe it does and I’m just not aware of it. I do think it has more to do with my current lack of power in the academic hierarchy – at least, to some extent.

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