Monday, 12 February 2007

Reading and housekeeping

Just by means of an update: I'm investing a short amount of time creating succinct reference summaries of the texts I've already read. The topics I've been reading through are diverse, which in it's own way has been refreshing, because varying the focus has made the greater body of work more digestible. The more I read, the more I feel reassured that as far as I know to date, nothing goes near hitting the same theoretical targets and creative targets I'm aiming for. That's not to say that no one has written anything which relates to my work in any way, just that nothing fills the entire space in the desired way, and certainly nothing creative has been generated from research in this mode, on this topic.

This is very reassuring, for two reasons. Firstly, from a micro-perspective, it gives me a sense that my focus is unique, and secondly, from a macro-view, I can see that many writers, academics and researchers are concerned with the same harms I am in varying disciplines, which makes me feel that I'm not alone, howling at the moon from some isolated promontory. I do feel that I have hair growing on my palms from time to time, though, probably not for academic reasons. Regardless, several people are coming at this problem from a number of interesting ideological angles, none of them designerly, so I am going to continue to cram the prevailing and historical thought conditions into my head, and to keep an awareness of my relative position to the arguments foremost at all times.

I have been reading some marketing (seemingly thrilling, yet somehow empty, like those fake Christmas packages they place under Christmas tress in shopping centres), some gender theory, some cultural theory, some parenting manuals and some really freaking inspiring Feminist theory.

Michael and Vicky - I just wanted to mention that I will continue to reference authors I have mentioned in this blog as slipshod tags, just so that within this space, I can always go back to the relevant topic if I need to weave something together from two destinct threads. I don't want you to be alarmed and assume that I'm calling those loose references my encapsulated contextual arguments.

Celia has checked in, and was good enough to recommend Emile Zola, which I will add.

I will post my first brief summary here shortly. I'm also working on the documentation to apply for Ethics Clearance, and will need to talk to you soon, Michael, about that.

2 comments:

michael.hill said...

I think the writing style that you are demonstrating here in your journals is fine for that format. As I said at some stage, I recall, I think you write quite well in a manner that can be described as both clear and engaging.

On the other hand, you shouldn't neglect that 'other' document-the thesis and one way you can start on it is to channel all of those literary reference that you have been accumulating into a 'review of literature' chapter. This can be executed in the first instance, in a rough note form, without the polish of your blogs and can then be refined and developed in a subsequent draft. Alternatively, you could also attempt to get it pretty right as you go.

And yes, let's follow up on the ethics clearance at some stage.

Kell said...

Thanks Michael - for me the challenge is going to be formalising the style - I've done it before, but it's been a while, so I need to be more disciplined when I commence my first chapter.

Also... I have had an amazing idea that I will post about very shortly. There is a very exciting way that some of the technologies or mediums in my generational phase can overlap in a way that hasn't been done before.

 
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