Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 16, No. 10.
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
<http://www.princeton.edu/~mccarty/humanist/>
<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/>
[1] From: "Nancy Weitz" <nancy.weitz@computing- (77)
services.oxford.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: 15.638 cultural divisions
[2] From: Willard McCarty <w.mccarty@btinternet.com> (33)
Subject: cultural differences
--[1]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 08 May 2002 06:31:39 +0100
From: "Nancy Weitz" <nancy.weitz@computing-services.oxford.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: 15.638 cultural divisions
I've experienced this disjunction in very mild form while collaborating with a
French colleague, but I've long suspected that my impression was misleading
and,
as the book is in English and targeted at an Anglo academic audience, she was
actually absorbing the lion's share of any differences.
Her response:
"I agree totally: I have often felt that what seemed really interesting and
relevant to me (us in France) had no bearing with what people in Britain and
in America were doing. And vice versa. But there are common territories,
thank God. I think it is due to very different academic traditions. For one
thing, French people (in literary studies) have elevated 'close
study/reading' to the status of an art form, which ties in with our very
formalist approaches in teaching AND research. A result, partly, of
structuralism (although it must correspond to a deep engrained cultural
trait, and structuralism itself might have been a manifestation of that).
This might explain why historical studies are not so hot in this country.
Foucault is supposed to have said something quite funny about this: 'In
France we don't have any good libraries, there we have ideas'. "
(L. Cottegnies, University of Paris 8)
--[2]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 08 May 2002 06:57:26 +0100
From: Willard McCarty <w.mccarty@btinternet.com>
Subject: cultural differences
It seems to me that the issue of cultural differences we are discussing
with respect to work in humanities computing is a special case of cultural
differences as a whole. Are they not, as a whole, both good and bad? I
think of Clifford Geertz's fine essay, "Anti- Anti-Relativism", in his book
Available Light: Anthropological Reflections on Philosophical Topics
(Princeton, 2000), pp. 42-67, in which he treats such things in the light
and darkness of current intellectual cross-winds, as instances of the
genuine problem of coming to know and interact with other kinds of people.
Our own, local traditions are to be treasured, not treated as kinds of
mental imperalism (unless of course they're used that way), to be disposed
of in favour of a cultural esperanto -- but also to be realized as partial.
This all ends in a question, because, I realize, I am arguing for the
ex-pat's view of nationality and the adventurous cook's view of cuisine,
i.e. I am being autobiographical. I suppose we all are, and that's just
another statement of the problem. Your cookbooks will give you away every
time. But -- I guess I'm hungry -- when I'm in Italy (all too rarely) I
realize that however hard I may try in the kitchen it's not the same, and
without the Real Thing going on there as a natural expression of that
culture, my poor imitations would cease. Perhaps they should anyhow, but I
do enjoy the results.
Where does this get us? Back to the problem, as a real problem. Of course
we should all speak, read and write all languages, and we all should be
reading everything relevant to our field (which is limitless) written in
all those languages, including Romanian (among many other languages in
which such work is done). But that would clarify the problem, not solve it.
And, in our ignorance, we're not *completely* wrong.
Further comments?
Yours,
WM
Dr Willard McCarty, Senior Lecturer,
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London,
Strand, London WC2R 2LS, U.K.,
+44 (0)20 7848-2784, ilex.cc.kcl.ac.uk/wlm/,
willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk, w.mccarty@btinternet.com
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