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Probably hard to adjust from academic-speak


shootingstar

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Last wk. mentioned that I was invite to review a manuscript for a book.  I was probably one of 25-30 people interviewed.

Today history professor-author surprisingly emailed back to me after I suggested 1 minor change to a sentence that mentioned me and someone else.  Also I commented that even I found the word "intersectionality" too vague and not useful for alot of people, even well-educated folks. A real test:  that word is barely used where I work. 

I emailed last wk.:   people like me, support her and want her book to reach an even broader audience which can include readers that want to learn more, but aren't part of academia (I didn't say ivory tower community). 

Therefore some wording in her book should aim for precision, simplicity so the book will withstand the test of readership  20, 50 yrs. from now. That's what I said to her.

Anyway, she's probably poured her energy over her baby, the manuscript  well over a year, after research.

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20 minutes ago, JerrySTL said:

Many years ago I was using a text book to teach a college course. It had many errors and I wrote the authors about them. I got an offer to proof read the next edition. It was a nice paycheck. 

That's great, Jerry.  

Author was polite and cheerful to me.  I don't expect she'll change the language hardly at all, to be a bit more down to earth since other academics will be reading/commenting her book in her world. She is also running against a tight deadline for final version submission to publisher by early next month. 

Presumably the language style might give her more cred in those circles.

There certainly have been enough books written by professors for the broad market. I buy such books myself....different subjects. Human intelligence, world of mushrooms (incredible book), development of language and cognition, etc.

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1 hour ago, shootingstar said:

Probably hard to adjust from academic-speak

Years ago WoBG had a doctor friend who was a pathologist.   WoBG was an avid reader, and the doc wanted her opinion of the book he wrote.  She had an original manuscript and read thru the book. 

The book was about a murder mystery and the forensic science investigation.   WoBG had to tell him... it read like a medical book. :(

I'm not sure what happened to the book.  He soon retired, and moved to Florida. 

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14 minutes ago, Bikeguy said:

Years ago WoBG had a doctor friend who was a pathologist.   WoBG was an avid reader, and the doc wanted her opinion of the book he wrote.  She had an original manuscript and read thru the book. 

The book was about a murder and the forensic science investigation.   WoBG had to tell him... it read like a medical book. :(

I'm not sure what happened to the book.  He soon retired, and moved to Florida. 

Your wife gave her most honest opinion. I'm sure she was nice about it.

It's super hard to be objective about one's profession and to remember there are human stories about the work we do.  I've noticed books about a bookseller and stories about customers probably.  There have been books about libraries, history and maybe some wierd human stories but I haven't bothered to flip through.

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However, the word intersectionality, in its various forms, is common on Instagram. My sophomores used it in seminar discussions. 
It is the exact word to use when naming complex identity politics, even in basic low-key power structures like dating or filling out demographic info. 

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8 hours ago, MoseySusan said:

However, the word intersectionality, in its various forms, is common on Instagram. My sophomores used it in seminar discussions. 
It is the exact word to use when naming complex identity politics, even in basic low-key power structures like dating or filling out demographic info. 

I guess...there's a whole whack of people won't learn that term. And then explaining it...:flirtyeyess:

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21 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

Get out more. :)

I actually find some buzzwords about equity, identity, a bit annoying.  So we landed on a convenient word.  It doesn't solve problems. Rather than say: double-bind problem of race and gender inequities, we've forced folks to scramble for the dictionary.  I know that already by even being so blunt here in SQW forum, will get some people's alert button up...and not in a good way. 

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