Academia news

Authors selling ebooks through Amazon…and an academic roundup

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Celebrated authors bypass publishing houses to sell ebooks via Amazon Discontent over digital royalties prompts Roth, Amis and other leading names to enter into exclusive deal with Odyssey Editions E-books attracting more Turkish readers from Hurriyet Dailynews Interest in e-books, which received only lukewarm support from publishers when they first emerged, is increasing despite worries … Read more

Such a frustrating day…A few words on manners and Open source in academy (!)

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I was accused of Piracy today by a quite well-known scholar on web censorship issues.  Not publicly though. In a previous post I gave a link to his book whose link I found through my friendfeed news flow. I admit it was my mistake to give link to a piratedly submitted copy of the book. … Read more

An Academic Job Satisfaction survey etc..

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No, Turkey is not in it. 18 countries included: Worldwide Academic Job Satisfaction July 2, 2010 A study of academics in 18 countries has highlighted disparities in the satisfaction levels among university staff around the world. Job Satisfaction on Scale of 1-5 by Academics in 18 Countries 2.5 Britain 3 Portugal, Australia, China 3.5 Finland, … Read more

Anthro roundup: Savage Minds at Five, news from Human Terrain System etc…

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New Open Access Journal: Anthropology Reviews: Dissent and Cultural Politics (ARDAC) from antropologi.info – anthropology in the news blog by Lorenz Is this one of the first real web2.0-journals in anthropology? A new Open Access journal was launched: Anthropology Reviews: Dissent and Cultural Politics (ARDAC) Five years of Savage Minds: Its the Content, Stupid from … Read more

Middlesex Philosophy needs support

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Academic Boycott of Middlesex

from Larval Subjects

This post will remain at the top of Larval Subjects until something changes with the Middlesex Situation.

In solidarity with our brothers and sisters at Middlesex and to preserve the integrity of academia, I strongly encourage readers of Larval Subjects to sign this petition boycotting Middlesex until the Philosophy department is restored and those students and members of the faculty who have been wrongly suspended have their positions restored. This is not just an issue pertaining to the Middlesex Philosophy department, but goes straight to the core of academia. We must not let these sorts of practices become acceptable.

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Metal’s big loss: R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio

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R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio 1942 ? 2010 from Metal Hammer by terrybezer After initial rumours were dismissed earlier today, Metal Hammer is devastated to report that Ronnie James Dio has passed away. (more?) Ronnie James Dio Official site. Biography, discography, tour dates, news, information about his fan club, chat room, and forum. Tour – Discography … Read more

Istanbul Seminars 2010 begins soon

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A very high level international intellectual activity is about to start! On 19 May at our campus.

Istanbul Seminars 2010

Check out their website and see who speaks there.

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Bilgi Media MA program presents:

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TÜBA President represents the state of Turkish academia…

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I always heard it as a gossip but a few days ago TÜBA (The Turkish Academy of Sciences) President Prof. Yücal Kanpolat made it official in my eyes: Prof. Şerif Mardin was not accepted as a member of the Academy because he “polished” Said Nursi too much. Prof. Kanpolat claims that not because Prof. Mardin studied on Said Nursi but because he praised him he was not accepted to the Academy.  Şerif Mardin is one of the best social scientists ever lived in modern Turkey and his work on Said Nursi (Religion and social change in modern Turkey: the case of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi) is probably the first sociological work on this religious figure. Because he did not explicitly demonize Said Nursi, he was “excommunicated”. Kemalist scholarly establishment could never forgive him while generations of social scientists relied on his many works to create a better understanding of the social…

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Bilgi University becomes the first private university to unionize in Turkey

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After being acquired by an American education company, Laureate, (starting with this academic year, 2009-2010), Bilgi University employees of all sorts (academics and administrative workers) had been increasingly having job security issues as well as anxiety for possible policy changes. There haven’t been many concrete cases to encourage this rise of anxieties (but of course … Read more

“Anthropology Journals ranked by the ARC”

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Anthropology Journals ranked by the ARC

from Culture Matters by gregdowney

The Australian Research Council has released its 2010 list of journals, ranked into four grades: A*, A, B, and C (with a few listed as ?unranked?). The complete list can be accessed through the ARC website here, but it?s a large Excel file (5.27 mb). The list is part of an audit of university research initially proposed by the last government. As the ARC?s website explains:

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“Freedom House: freedom declines again

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Freedom House: freedom declines again

from FP Passport by Joshua Keating

Freedom House released its 2010 Freedom in the World survey, which sadly, shows overall freedom declining around the world for the fourth straight year. The report designates a total of 89 countries as free, 58 as partly free, and 47 as not free. Last week, I asked Freedom House Director of Research Arch Puddington about some of the more surprising developments from this year in freedom:

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On conference organizing and more

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A nice post on conference organizing, another look at Copenhagen summit and activism, some more interesting posts and images…

Thoughts on conference organizing

from Culture Matters by gregdowney

There have been a couple of interesting posts I?ve run across in my attempts to find out what happened at the 2009 AAA conference (see especially Lorenz?s run-down at antropologi.info). These discussions of conferences in general have encouraged me to write something about my own experiences organizing and attending conferences over the past year (see also, Lorenz?s What?s the point of anthropology conferences?, Kerim?s What?s Your Favorite Anthropology Conference? and Strong?s How to attend a conference in a couple hours). I thought I?d add a different perspective; that of the amateur, I?ll-never-do-it-again (dis-)organizer.

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More advice from Savage Minds to grad school applicants…

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(More) advice on graduate school applications

from Savage Minds: Notes and Queries in Anthropology ? A Group Blog by Rex

Deadlines for graduate school applications are coming up again. Last year I wrote some quick pointers on applying to graduate school but since then I?ve developed my boiler-plate for our school even more as additional requests for information have entered my mailbox. So here is the latest iteration of my advices for applying to graduate school. Although it is written for where I teach, most of what I say is applicable to anywhere. Good luck!

Not Just Drones: Militants Can Snoop on Most U.S. Warplanes

from Boing Boing by Xeni Jardin

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Yesterday, news broke that insurgents used a $25 application available online to hack into US military drone video feeds, and view, copy, and potentially distribute their contents. Hmmmm… Unauthorized copying of audio and video material? Some on Twitter have suggested that we might just send the MPAA or RIAA after them — then, for sure we’ll at last find Bin Laden. But Wired Danger Room’s Noah Shachtman says,

Herbert Brandl at Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman

Herbert Brandl at Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman

from Contemporary Art Daily by Forrest

Artist: Herbert Brandl

Venue: Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman, Innsbruck

Exhibition Title: Spektrolith

Date: November 14, 2009 ? January 29, 2010

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Special Issue on Michel Foucault by Theory, Culture and Society Journal

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You need to have subscription to this great journal to read the articles but I am sure all major university libraries are subscribed to. At the end there is also roundup on art/intellectual/academic links…
[update: all articles downloadable here]
Introduction: Thinking after Michel Foucault
Couze Venn and Tiziana Terranova
Theory Culture Society 2009;26 1-11
http://tcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/26/6/1
Alternatives to the Prison: Dissemination or Decline of Social Control?
Michel Foucault
Theory Culture Society 2009;26 12-24
http://tcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/26/6/12
Foucault’s Untimely Struggle: Toward a Form of Spirituality
Paul Rabinow
Theory Culture Society 2009;26 25-44
http://tcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/26/6/25
Identity, Nature, Life: Three Biopolitical Deconstructions
Judith Revel
Theory Culture Society 2009;26 45-54
http://tcs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/26/6/45

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