[p2p-research] [p2pf] Launch of P2P Research Group
Ryan Lanham
rlanham1963 at gmail.com
Sun Apr 19 04:17:58 CEST 2009
It seems to me that there are at least two ways institutions can be judged
successful: First, they can be viewed as survivors in an ecology. To
succeed, they need only continue. The second way to success is in serving
some purpose well.
Monolithic knowledge has few supporters these days. So if one opts for the
second and more human purpose, there needs to be a mission beyond
"veritas". Teaching does not seem to be the mission of most institutions;
it is a byproduct. Few who study teaching find universities to be
particularly good at it, and teaching is rarely studied as a pursuit in
universities outside of the discipline of education. Boosting people into
competencies is a plausible mission, but even there, universities are hardly
efficient or effective.
I think universities had two symbiotic purposes--one to imbue students with
associative identity and institutional prestige--with a byproduct of some
learning, and the second, more elemental mission was to earn that prestige
through "scholarship."
So the real question of the worth or failure of universities comes back, it
seems to me, to the meaning of scholarship. P2P modes exist
(spontaneously?) for efficiencies of minimalizing institutional
burdens--bureaucracy, identity, prestige, norms, hierachies, etc.
My condemnation of universities is in finding their definitions of
scholarship to be (too often) solipsistic, removed from relevance and, more
generally, exclusive. They failed by hiding their product from
transparency. Instead, they chose to form guilds and to perfect trade
secrets, normative rituals, and to act more like secret societies than
service entities.
Regardless, knowledge is useful and universities contribute almost in spite
of themselves. Learned individuals do the right things--perhaps as Athina
is doing--just because they embody the very desires for meaning, value and
efficiency that are at the heart of the p2p ethos. In a sense, p2p success
at universities requires fighting the conventional institutional overhead
When the two blend, the academy washes out the authenticity of p2p through
institutional machinery that simply can't be abandoned by most. People need
the church acoutrements that Marc suggests exist. p2p is thus potentially
lost in the very mechanics it innocently undermines. Like water against a
shore, it will bounce back and meld in because its dissolving power is very
microscopic--at the level of the person...it is not aggregated to the
perspective of people who view the world from institutional eyes...as land
and sea. But sometimes there are storms and rapid shifts, to extend a
metaphor way too far!
Ryan Lanham
On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 5:38 PM, Wittel, Andreas
<andreas.wittel at ntu.ac.uk>wrote:
> This is a interesting question.
>
> As I have hosted the workshop in Nottingham, I 'd like to share my
> experience with Nottingham Trend Uni. I asked the IT people to set up a wiki
> and was told that this is not possible as NTU wanted control over content.
> Obviously the result was a dead web site, suitable for information around
> the time of the conference, and dead later.
>
> I would suspect that most unis have this policy. Should Hull be more open,
> and open to a wiki, and willing to fund the site, then I would welcome this
> and take advantage of it. However if Hull has (1) similar concerns about
> wikis as NTU, and (2) does not fund a non-Hull website for the research
> group, I would follow Ryan's suggestion to set up the p2p research group
> without uni affiliation.
>
> Basically we dont need uni support to set up a research group. But we do
> need uni support (in terms of funding) to meet for conferences and
> workshops.
>
> One more thing. Ryan said ealier.
>
> On the other hand, lists of "researchers" meaning people at academic
> institutions who write papers for journals seems a failed model
>
> As much as my academic heart agrees with this due to all kinds of
> frustrations in this world, I find this a dangerous statement as it puts
> universities in the realm of history. Are you really suggesting we dont need
> unis any more? How about newspapers? Art? Literature? Sould all this (which
> is under serious threat atm) be allowed to be swept away for
> non-insitituational knowledge work to succeed?
>
> For those interested in the relevance of history in the information age I'd
> recommend Alan Liu (2004), The Laws of Cool.
>
> Andreas
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: p2presearch-bounces at listcultures.org on behalf of Ryan Lanham
> Sent: Sat 18/04/2009 20:23
> To: Athina Karatzogianni
> Cc: list-en at oekonux.org; p2pf at yahoogroups.com; Peer-To-Peer Research List
> Subject: Re: [p2p-research] [p2pf] Launch of P2P Research Group
>
>
> Thanks, Athina. I will do what you say.
>
> I should note, in the interest of open disclosure, that I have been an
> employee of Harvard, Northwestern and Virginia Tech universities. It would
> be disingenuous for me to ride too a horse about higher ed.
>
> There is a new effort going on now concerning a charter for best practices
> in community engagement that may serve as a suitable base; I will post a
> link in the next couple of days since I am not as good as Michel at building
> stockpiles on de.licio.us <http://de.licio.us/> .
>
> Anyone else who wishes to offer a collaborative foundation, method, or
> tools besides a wiki should gather their thoughts and speak out as time goes
> forward.
>
> I continue to applaud and welcome the general concept and can imagine the
> risks and frustrations associated with moving forward.
>
> Ryan Lanham
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 2:02 PM, Athina Karatzogianni <athina.k at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Ryan
>
> I am all for what you propose, please take the initiative.
>
> I would also like to add here if I may, in response one of your
> previous emails, the fact that i happen to be an academic and hull is
> interested in supporting this effort (i have kept chasing them around for
> the past 2 years!) is somehow causing political concern in terms of
> excluding non academics and other more serious ideological issues, which I
> recognize as valid.
>
> Nevertheless, it feels a constant barrier having to defend any sort
> of effort of volunteering my time. Those that know me personally and my work
> more generally will know were my political loyalties have been and will
> continue to be. They are not with institutions and certainly not with
> hierarchies.
>
> Please take the lead in this, and whoever else wants to take
> initiatives they are here to be taken. I am not excluding anyone and neither
> does what happens to be my current affiliation. In a way I am trying to say
> that this is a research group for p2p researchers, how can it have different
> logic and how it can exclude anyone? I have taken it for granted that it has
> a peer logic. Doing charters and discussing governance perhaps someone like
> you can the the lead in. All I trying to do is set up, host everyone for a
> first time in hull to discuss all these issues and create some sort of
> governance structure for the group when we meet face to face and get some
> funding going.
>
> Cheers
>
> Athina
>
>
> On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 2:26 PM, Ryan Lanham <rlanham1963 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Michel,
>
> Thanks. A constitution isn't a bad idea, but rather than
> one drafter, I'll look for a starting point that is more collaborative and
> perhaps an open section of the wiki could be used to gather broad inpur.
> I'd be happy to shepherd and encourage that process.
>
> Perhaps others with interests in open and collaborative
> governance could take significant roles in editing.
>
>
> Ryan Lanham
> rlanham1963 at gmail.com
>
> Facebook: Ryan_Lanham
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 1:13 AM, Michel Bauwens <
> michelsub2004 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Ryan,
>
> I don't think any social or political change project
> can bypass altogether all institutions, it needs to work both within and
> without. This being said, while aiming for funding obviously demands playing
> by some rules, I think that for all participants who believe in the P2P
> ethos, no research project can or should be exclusive to academic
> researchers. In my view, the new group should also be able to assist
> non-academic researchers.
>
> Perhaps, we could write a manifesto of sorts, that
> would serve as the 'constitution' of the group, which would specific this,
>
> Would you be interested in taking the lead in
> writing this?
>
> Michel
>
>
> On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 5:37 AM, Ryan Lanham <
> rlanham1963 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> I applaud this initiative and bravo to those
> offering the funding. On the other hand, lists of "researchers" meaning
> people at academic institutions who write papers for journals seems a failed
> model that is less in need of reinforcement than rejection.
>
> Research in an academic sense is not p2p,
> hasn't been, and never will be. I would not exclude it, I just would feed
> it by giving it additional free assets of prestige and focus without their
> earning those resources in open (truly open) communities.
>
> Ryan Lanham
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 5:09 AM, Michel
> Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> I´m extremely happy to announce this
> initiative, which will enable people interested in p2p dynamics to more
> easily appeal for research funding.
>
> B elow is a short announcement from
> Athina Karatzogianni, please ask for the document that she is referring to
> in her email listed below. If you are involved with research, academic or
> not, please let us know and do forward this message to other networks.
>
> If you have no access to the
> attached document, please request one from Athina via email
>
>
>
> Michel Bauwens
>
>
>
>
> Text:
>
> "The P2P Foundation <
> http://p2pfoundation.net/> in collaboration with the University of Hull <
> http://www.hull.ac.uk/> are creating a P2PResearch Group (P2PRG) with a
> physical base in Hull, in order to initiate a material equivalent to the
> various virtual networks we are all part of. Some of the goals of the group
> are to attract funding to improve already existent infrastructures, create
> more material and immaterial networks and hubs and capture funding for
> research, conferences and workshops. A conference scheduled for November
> will also produce a direct and transparent steering committee to oversee the
> various activities of the group. Therefore, it would be particularly
> helpful, if everyone, who is interested in participating, fills as much
> information as they can, in the document attached, and email it to Athina <
> http://www.hull.ac.uk/humanities/media_studies/staff/athina_karatzogianni/>
> at athina.k at gmail.com"
>
> see and forward doc attached (please
> edit doc michel as you see fit)
>
> athina
>
>
>
> --
> Dr Athina Karatzogianni
> Lecturer in Media, Culture and
> Society
> The Dean's Representative (Chinese
> Partnerships)
> Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
> The University of Hull
> United Kingdom
> HU6 7RX
> T: ++44 (0) 1482 46 5790
> F: ++44 (0) 1482 466107
>
> http://www.hull.ac.uk/humanities/media_studies/staff/athina_karatzogianni/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Dr Athina Karatzogianni
> Lecturer in Media, Culture and
> Society
> The Dean's Representative (Chinese
> Partnerships)
> Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
> The University of Hull
> United Kingdom
> HU6 7RX
> T: ++44 (0) 1482 46 5790
> F: ++44 (0) 1482 466107
>
> http://www.hull.ac.uk/humanities/media_studies/staff/athina_karatzogianni/
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Working at
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University -
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>
> Volunteering at the P2P Foundation:
> http://p2pfoundation.net <
> http://p2pfoundation.net/> - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <
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>
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>
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> --
> Dr Athina Karatzogianni
> Lecturer in Media, Culture and Society
> The Dean's Representative (Chinese Partnerships)
> Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
> The University of Hull
> United Kingdom
> HU6 7RX
> T: ++44 (0) 1482 46 5790
> F: ++44 (0) 1482 466107
>
> http://www.hull.ac.uk/humanities/media_studies/staff/athina_karatzogianni/
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