Monthly Archives: August 2006

You Can’t Tell the Players Without a Scorecard

Posted on August 29, 2006 by Timothy Burke

[Crossposted at Cliopatria] One of the overarching arguments in my current book project is that in Africanist scholarship, work by social historians has sometimes been difficult for outsiders to intuitively or empathetically grasp, that it is easier to connect to … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Africa | 15 Comments

The End of Apartheid, Direct Action and Its Costs

Posted on August 29, 2006 by Timothy Burke

Quite a few people are calling me, legitimately, on my slippery slope comparisons between harassment of researchers and mass murder. Fair enough, but I would still maintain that once you put yourself in a situation of effectively absolute license to … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 9 Comments

The Sensation of Standing Still While Moving

Posted on August 28, 2006 by Timothy Burke

Been cleaning out my closet and files this week while getting ready for the semester. Looking at administrative materials, correspondence and so on that I kept from 1992-1995, when I had my first academic jobs at Rutgers, Emory and then … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Miscellany | 6 Comments

So Long and Thanks For All the Spandex

Posted on August 24, 2006 by Timothy Burke

What, a show that basically is a metafictional foolery about superheroes and comics has a problem with a guy who is playing (in a fairly talented way) to the cheesiness of the genre AND the show? Yes, I know, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture | 4 Comments

Process Comes First

Posted on August 24, 2006 by Timothy Burke

Erin O’Connor discusses protests against research on primates at UCLA and asks for academic bloggers to support the rights of researchers against the attacks of protesters. I think that’s a fair request, and that you can express that support regardless … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Politics | 16 Comments

Getting the Cool Job

Posted on August 23, 2006 by Timothy Burke

Right around September, a lot of last year’s graduates from liberal arts colleges are discovering that they appear to be qualified for approximately none of the jobs that they might actually want to have. There are exceptions: students who have … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Miscellany | 15 Comments

Four Short Notes From My Media Morning

Posted on August 22, 2006 by Timothy Burke

1. In daily reading of the Internet, you can forget just how many breathtakingly wonderful various small acts of creative generosity it offers. Most of them are also fragile and ephemeral: you have to be there. I was reading one … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellany, Popular Culture | 5 Comments

Good Quote, Bad Quote

Posted on August 22, 2006 by Timothy Burke

Here’s a very lucid, clear description of repeated antagonism between intellectuals who identify as critical theorists and those who see their work in scientistic or positivistic terms. Raymond Geuss, The Idea of a Critical Theory: Habermas and the Frankfurt School, … Continue reading →

Posted in Good Quote, Bad Quote | Comments Off

The Disciplinary Pie

Posted on August 21, 2006 by Timothy Burke

Inside Higher Education has a story about a new book on the history of disciplines within the 20th Century university. The main argument, according to the IHE summary, is that the rise of the social sciences is the primary reason … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | Comments Off

Who Wants to Be a Superhero Update

Posted on August 18, 2006 by Timothy Burke

I was enjoying this show, but last night’s episode was pretty bad. Since the whole show is strongly scripted, more than many other “reality programs”, it’s pretty inexcusable to eliminate a character because she once threw a shampoo bottle in … Continue reading →