UNESCO World Report, "Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural
Dialogue" available online.

Cultural diversity has emerged as a key concern at the turn of a new century. Yet the meanings attached to this catch-all term are as varied as they are shifting. Some see cultural diversity as inherently positive, insofar as it points to a sharing of the wealth embodied in each of the world’s cultures and, accordingly, to the links uniting us all in processes of exchange and dialogue. For others, cultural differences are what cause us to lose sight of our common humanity and are therefore at the root of numerous conflicts. This second diagnosis is today all the more plausible since globalization has increased the points of interaction and friction between cultures, giving rise to identity-linked tensions, withdrawals and claims, particularly of a religious nature, which can become potential sources of dispute. The essential challenge, therefore, would be to propose a coherent vision of cultural diversity and thereby to clarify how, far from being a threat, it can become beneficial to the action of the international community.

[little italy in edmonton]

One of the many highlights of moving to Edmonton is our proximity to Little (though very little) Italy and the delights this area brings. One of our favourites is the Italian Centre Shop. Visiting this supermarket is like a little taste of home (my Vasto home). Upon entering, all your senses are bombarded by a plethora of culinary treats. The sound of prosciutto slices falling onto waxed brown paper and the salty buttered taste that employees let one try before buying. Then there are the shelves, each bursting with hundreds of types of olive oils, balsamic vinegars, passata, Crodino, and anything one might need. A shopping trip here is like a little trip to Italy.   

[old strathcona farmers' market: edmonton]

[grant macewan: officially a university]

Yesterday the province (as well as the university) announced Grant MacEwan's formal change from "college" to "university" (though it has been granting degrees since 2004).

It's interesting, as a new Edmontonian, to learn about the institution's history. At lunch yesterday I was lucky enough to meet with a previous university admin. who filled me in on MacEwan's grassroots beginning (especially in terms of forwarding the arts and culture scene in Edmonton). Just take a look at the "multidisciplinary" Arts of the Ave. Festival to see how many of the performers, volunteers, writers etc... have a link with Grant MacEwan. If you're in the area, you might want to keep track of the Arts on the Ave. calendar which lists upcoming events such as this weekend's Kaleido fest.

[twitter & politics]

Is Twitter now a part of U.S. foreign policy? The Washington Post reports that:

The State Department asked social networking site Twitter to delay scheduled maintenance earlier this week in order to avoid disrupting communications among tech-savvy Iranian citizens as they took to the streets to protest Friday’s reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

That sounds like a wow. Only maybe not. A few grafs down the Post also reports that the White House downplayed the request this way:

“This wasn’t a directive from Secretary of State, but rather was a low-level contact from someone who often talks to Twitter staff.”

But a senior State Department official told the Post that the contacts were quite official.

“One of the areas where people are able to get out the word is through Twitter,” said a senior State Department official in a conversation with reporters, on condition of anonymity. “They announced they were going to shut down their system for maintenance and we asked them not to.”

On the other hand, is this all being blown out of proportion by the Twitter-loving press?

“Twitter’s impact inside Iran is zero,” said Mehdi Yahyanejad, manager of a Farsi-language news site based in Los Angeles. “Here, there is lots of buzz, but once you look . . . you see most of it are Americans tweeting among themselves.”

Re: Twitter's impact inside Iran is zero? Not sure about that. If people are doing something outside of Iran, wouldn't that have an impact within?

See these stories too:

• Iranian Youth Protests Could Outlast Ahmadinejad Rule
  "Since the election, reformist Web sites, as well as Twitter and Facebook, have been cut off in Iran, although Iranians are evading the controls via proxy"
• Iran's Twitter Revolution "Ahmadinejad will twitter to his supporters he will save Iran from the rule of the twitter mobs and the Ayatollahs and mullahs will twitter"
• Dissecting Twitter's Role In Tech, Society, Politics"The Iran situation, where Twitter continued to provide communication resources to Iran residents after the government had shut down other communication"
• Iran's Protests: Why Twitter Is the Medium of the Movement "The U.S. State Department doesn't usually take an interest in the maintenance schedules of dotcom start-ups. But over the weekend, officials there reached out to Twitter and asked them to delay a network upgrade that was scheduled for Monday night. The reason? To protect the interests of Iranians using the service to protest the presidential election that took place on June 12. Twitter moved the upgrade to 2 p.m. P.T. Tuesday afternoon — or 1:30 a.m. Tehran time." (this link via @SteveCadwell)

Article from Richard Koman at ZDNet.

[computer human interaction conference: australia]

OZCHI 2009 – Design: Open 24/7

21st Annual Conference of the Australian Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group (CHISIG) of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia (HFESA)

23 – 27 November 2009, The University of Melbourne, Australia

http://www.ozchi.org/

Paper submission site now open: http://precisionconference.com/~ozchi

OZCHI is Australia’s leading forum for research and development in all areas of Human-Computer Interaction. OZCHI attracts an international community of practitioners, researchers, academics and students from a wide range of disciplines including user experience designers, information architects, software engineers, human factors experts, information systems analysts, and social scientists.

The main conference will be from Wed 25 to Fri 27 Nov 2009, and will be preceded by two days of Workshops, Tutorials and a Doctoral Consortium on Mon 23 and Tue 24 Nov 2009.OZCHI will take place back-to-back with HFESA 2009: http://www.hfesaconference.org.au/ scheduled to run from 22-25 Nov 2009. The venue for both conferences is the ICT building of the University of Melbourne, 111 Barry St, Parkville.

The keynote speakers for this year's OZCHI conference:

• Bill Moggridge, Co-founder of IDEO.com
• Patrick Hofmann, Head of User Experience, Google Australia
• Yvonne Rogers, Director, Pervasive Interaction Lab, Open University, UK

Important Dates

Long papers, and workshop & tutorial proposals
19 Jun 2009: EXTENDED SUBMISSION DEADLINE
14 Aug 2009: Notification of acceptance
28 Aug 2009: Camera ready papers deadline

Short papers, industry case studies, demos & posters, workshop papers, and doctoral consortium
28 Aug 2009: Submission deadline
25 Sep 2009: Notification of acceptance
02 Oct 2009: Camera ready papers deadline

Conference Theme

The 2009 conference theme is Design: Open 24/7. Accessibility, inclusivity and dissolving boundaries are core to the Open 24/7 theme for the design of human interaction with and through digital technologies. The integration of digital technologies into our everyday life allows for a seamless transitioning between open and closed, work and leisure, public and private. Open implies participation and collaboration across traditional borders between individuals, organisations and disciplines. OZCHI 2009 provides a forum to discuss all aspects of openness, open borders, open participation, open source and open architecture. Theme-related submissions may address these topics:

• Open always-on real-time ubiquitous and pervasive designs
• Open design and universality versus situatedness, contextualisation and personalisation
• Open source for design – design for open source
• Open mind – new ideas, concepts and approaches from outside HCI
• Beyond open – never closed: design for escapism

Conference Topics

Submissions in all areas of HCI are encouraged. In addition, we particularly invite authors to address any of the following topics:

• Augmented Reality
• Context and Location Awareness
• Education and HCI
• Health Care and HCI
• Innovative Design Methodologies
• Smart Service Delivery
• Sustainability
• Universal Usability and Accessibility
• Urban Informatics
• Tangible User Interfaces
• Visualisation Techniques
• Working across Cultures

Read more about the paper/workshop submission process and conference here.

[employment: phd in digital literacy practises of immigrant youth]

The digital literacy practices of immigrant youth for the formation of identity and learning networks (0.9 fte)

This project is focused on the analysis of the everyday digital literacy practices of Moroccan immigrant youth.While the past several years have seen an increasing amount of research on the digital literacy practices of youth, within and well beyond theNetherlands, relatively little of this work to date has focused on immigrant youth and their productions and interpretations of social media (e.g. weblogs, Hyves, YouTube, texting, Twitter, gaming). This project will provide a unique contribution to the field by developing ethnographic studies of youth as they use social media and integrate it into their everyday lives in the Netherlands.

We are particularly interested in how digital literacy practices are used to produce identities and learning networks. What are the shapes and scales of new media networks for Moroccan immigrant youth? How are these new networks changing, and how are they related to social networks with longer histories (e.g., extended family, community)? How do networks formed through practices with social media support the development of local, national, and transnational identities? How do such networks also structure new social spaces for learning?

These questions are addressed in this project through ethnographic research that will be augmented with other research methods, including social network analysis and survey data.

For more information see: www.uu.nl/wireduphttp://www.academictransfer.nl/organisaties/?adm_pin=00351&fuseaction=detail&Vacature_ID=B3KTUQY9

[call for artists: £5.4m project for cultural olympiad]

Artists of all kinds from across the UK are being challenged to use the nation as a blank canvas for twelve inspirational commissions that will showcase our creativity to the world, as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Artists of all kinds from across the UK are being challenged to use the nation as a blank canvas for twelve inspirational commissions that will showcase our creativity to the world, as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

‘Artists taking the lead’ is the most ambitious and wide ranging art prize in the UK and is being developed by Arts Council England, in partnership with London 2012 and the arts councils of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

12 commissions of up to £500,000* will be awarded to create 12 new works of art across the country; one in each of the nine English regions, and in the nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. (*See Notes to Editors for the value of commissions offered in each Nation and Region)

‘Artists taking the lead’ is the first of ten major projects of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad to be launched. It provides artists across the country with an unparalleled opportunity to create work that celebrates the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and reflects the rich cultural diversity of the UK.

Moira Sinclair, Executive Director of Arts Council England, London, said on behalf of the UK arts councils: “The London 2012 bid was always about more than England’s capital city and about more than sport. Artists taking the lead illustrates that bigger, bolder vision – of art inspiring people up and down the UK to celebrate the Olympic Games, of nurturing and developing our artistic talent, and of culture and creativity at the heart of our national life.

We’re excited to be laying down such a unique challenge to artists. We want them to look at their region and their connections with fresh eyes, to mark a moment in our histories in unexpected ways and places across the country, to surprise and delight the world with their extraordinary artistic vision.”

From today,19 March, until Friday 29 May 2009, artists can submit their ideas for the commissions online at www.artiststakingthelead.org.uk

Read more here: http://www.london2012.com/news/media-releases/2009-03/artists-take-the-lead-in-5-4m-project-for-cultural-olymp.php

[employment: lecturer in digital anthropology]

I just love seeing employment opportunities that are focused on the digital (especially within humanities).

Applications are invited for a permanent lectureship in Digital Anthropology to begin 1 August 2009. The successful applicant will be responsible for, and will teach within, our new MA programme in Digital Anthropology and contribute to general teaching in Material and Visual Culture. They will carry out research in Digital Anthropology and contribute to normal administrative duties within the UCL Department of Anthropology.

Applicants should have a PhD and begun researching in the field of Digital Anthropology.

Applications from qualified candidates specialised in any area of the world are welcome.

Further particulars are available here. This appointment is available from 1 August 2009 on the UCL salary scale Grade 7 in the range £ 32,458 per annum to £35,469 per annum plus £2,781 per annum London Allowance. A UCL application form may be downloaded from the UCL website. Applications consisting of the application form, a CV, the names and contact details (particularly e-mail) of three referees and a cover letter describing the candidate's research interests and teaching expertise should all be sent electronically to the Departmental Administrator, Mrs Alena Kocourek (a.kocourekucl.ac.uk).

UCL Taking Action for Equality
The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 1st April 2009.

[interdisciplinary research & digital culture]

An interesting position for someone with a ph.d in digital culture or with wider experience in recent developments in cultural studies. It's only for a year but seems as though there's possibility for renewal:

Interdisciplinary Research Fellow in Digital Culture

The Cultures of the Digital Economy Research Institute

Faculty of Arts, Law, and Social Sciences

Ref: 6109

Based in Cambridge

Fixed term contract for one year in the first instance

£29,704 - £34,435 p.a.

Join us as we enter an exciting new phase of our development. Our ambition is to be recognised as a truly 21st century university, fully relevant to the changing needs of students, staff and employers. With our energy, enthusiasm and ambition matched by our friendliness and approachability, Anglia Ruskin University is a great place to be.

You will join the interdisciplinary team of the Cultures of the Digital Economy Research Institute, a project housed within the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences. The Institute involves colleagues working in media theory, humanities computing, digital music and video, fine arts, video games, serious gaming and digital text, yet also has an important scientific contribution from colleagues involved with design and technology, audio engineering and computer design and animation.

The Interdisciplinary Fellow in Digital Culture is expected to take a key role in the Institute's activities. You must be familiar with state-of-the-art experimental, theoretical and practical issues in cultural theory, arts and the emerging sciences of digital culture. You are expected to have advanced IT skills and a knowledge of the field(s) of interactivity in sound and/or digital image would be an advantage. The Fellow will typically engage in personal research and publishing in the field of digital culture and collaborative research initiatives that bring together the different strands of the Research Institute.

The project commences in March 2009, or as soon as possible thereafter.
For further information please contact Prof Eugene Giddens, on 0845 196 2965 or eugene.giddens@anglia.ac.uk

Closing Date: 06 March 2009 (12 noon)

It is anticipated interviews will take place on 20 March 2009

CVs will only be accepted if accompanied by a completed University Application form.

Further details are available from telephone 0845 196 4740 (24 hours). E-mail jobs@anglia.ac.uk or visit on-line at www.anglia.ac.uk/hr/jobs

We value diversity at Anglia Ruskin University and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

[dac conference]

DAC09 will be held on the campus of the University of California Irvine,for three and a half days in mid-December 2009.

The Themes for this iteration of DAC:

* Embodiment and performativity
* Mobile/locative/situated/wearable practices
* Software/platform studies
* Environment/ sustainability/ climate change
* Interdisciplinary pedagogy
* Cognition and Creativity
* Sex and sexuality

More information can be found at the conference website: http://dac09.uci.edu

DAC09 is now accepting paper proposals, and inviting offers of participation in other aspects of the conference.

The site and the conference are at this point a work in progress.

New and updated material will be added regularly.

[employment: multidisciplinary post doc]

Oxford Internet Institute

University of Oxford

RESEARCH STAFF GRADE 8 (£36,532 to £43,622 p.a.)

We are seeking a Research Fellow to complement our multidisciplinary team undertaking research into the societal implications of the Internet and related information and communications technologies. This Fellowship offers post doctoral researchers of outstanding promise or distinction an opportunity to pursue advanced research within this field.

Our preference is for candidates with a strong theoretical and/or methodological background in computer science, law or one of the following social science disciplines: communication, information, media studies, economics, political science, social psychology or sociology; and with an interest in research which will complement one of the OII's current research areas.

These concern the role of the Internet and ICTs in: everyday life and work; government and democracy; research and learning; shaping the Internet; and issues of theory and policy that cut across these settings. Applications from those with a track record of multi-disciplinary research on the societal implications of the Internet and/or related policy issues who have doctorates in other relevant disciplines will also be welcomed.

Based in the heart of Oxford, this post is available from October 2009 for two years in the first instance with the possibility of renewal thereafter.

How to apply

Grade 8 Fellow Application Pack (pdf, 100kb)

Further information, including details of how to apply, may be obtained from Nicola McVay, Administrative Officer, Oxford Internet Institute, 1 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3JS, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 212330; email: recruit@oii.ox.ac.uk

Applications must reach the Institute by 12:00 noon on Wednesday 25 February 2009. It is expected that interviews will be held on Tuesday 10 March 2009.

Research Fellow (Grade 7)

RESEARCH STAFF GRADE 7 (£28,839 to £35,469 p.a.)

We are seeking a Research Fellow to complement our multidisciplinary team undertaking research into the societal implications of the Internet and related information and communications technologies. This Fellowship offers post doctoral researchers of outstanding promise an opportunity to pursue advanced research within this field.

Our preference is for candidates with a strong theoretical and/or methodological background in computer science, law or one of the social sciences, including communication, information, media studies, economics, political science, social psychology or sociology; and with an interest in research which will complement one of the OII's current research areas.

These concern the role of the Internet and ICTs in: everyday life and work; government and democracy; research and learning; shaping the Internet; and issues of theory and policy that cut across these settings. Applications from those with a track record of multi-disciplinary research on the societal implications of the Internet and/or related policy issues who have doctorates in other relevant disciplines will also be welcomed.

Based in the heart of Oxford, this post is available from October 2009 for two years in the first instance with the possibility of renewal thereafter.

How to apply

Grade 7 Fellow Application Pack (pdf, 100kb)

Further information, including details of how to apply, may be obtained from Nicola McVay, Administrative Officer, Oxford Internet Institute, 1 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3JS, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 212330; email: recruit@oii.ox.ac.uk

Applications must reach the Institute by 12:00 noon on Wednesday 25 February 2009. It is expected that interviews will be held on Tuesday 10 March 2009.

[collective indigenous memory and digital archiving]

Gail Maurice says "Every step I take is with my ancestors; my memory in my bones..."

With this quote echoing in my head I'm wondering how this kind of cultural valuing of memory appears in a world where technology can ensure a kind of *archiving* of memory. Is taking a step with ancestors the same or even possible if new generations have access to digital memories? How does the passing on of stories, ideas, warnings, histories change if elders can include recourse to multimodal or hyperlinked creations?

This musing led me to "Designing digital knowledge management tools with Aboriginal Australians" by Helen Verran, Michael Christie, Bryce Anbins-King, Trevor van Weeren and Wulumdhuna Yunupingu. The article can be found in Digital Creativity, 2007, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 129–142.

In the article, the authors explain that "A significant number of indigenous and non-indigenous people respond with horror to the idea of using digital technologies to do collective memory in indigenous communities." This "horror" seems to stem from a belief that computers are anathema to a collective memory that is created together, in person, alongside nature/land. "Computers are actually more harm than good." There is a worry (understandably) that technology (or at least the way it is used) can help inculcate notions that indigenous knowledge is a commodity.

Verran et al call on feminist discourse to help negotiate the role of technology; there is an emphasis on the always-already provisional and partial view of knowledge (via mechanical means or otherwise): "Located accountability is built on what Haraway (1991, p.191) terms “partial, locatable critical knowledges”. As she makes clear, the fact that our knowing is relative to and limited by our locations does not in any sense relieve us of responsibility for it. On the contrary, it is precisely the fact that our vision of the world is a vision from somewhere, that it is inextricably based in an embodied and therefore partial perspective, which makes us personally responsible for it. The only possible route to objectivity on this view is through collective knowledge of the specific locations of our respective visions." (Suchman 2002, p. 96)

The article goes on to flesh out some ways of combining technology with the need to archive cultural memories. There are some interesting projects which, I think, can be quite appealing to students - especially aboriginal. Take for instance the TAMI database: "a fluid file management and database system which carries no Western assumptions about knowledge, and which maximises the possibility for the user to creatively relate and annotate assemblages of resources for their own purposes." This means that there are no hiearchies built into the system, no author, then subject etc... but rather: "The only a priori ontological distinction at work in the database is the distinction between texts, audios, movies and images. Apart from that there are no pre-existing categories (as there are in other database where metadata are sequestered into fields such as ‘author, ‘title’, ‘subject’). This provides a certain ontological flatness so indigenous knowledge traditions are not pre-empted by Western assumptions." Image cited in journal article. A project in a classroom might include students using google pages or delicious (though the latter might seem more "western" with the emphasis on text) to craft their own database of memories or experiences - perhaps focused on an emotion, story or single memory and from their build a multimodal archive. Also, rather than searching TAMI with a text string, as we do in google and delicious, users can scan thumbnails of each resource. Sounds a bit like some visual search engines. What the authors note at the end of the article is the ever-necessary importance of "digitally-canny outsiders" who know how to use the technology and are culturally sensitive.

See a map of UK memories here: http://www.nationsmemorybank.com/memorymap/


The image at the top of this post is of Cliff Island, Institute for Northern Studies fonds, University of Saskatchewan Archives, Institute for Northern Studies (INS) fonds – F2100. Binder 10. II. Slides – 4501 to 5000. Database ID: 20263.

[pirate philosophy @ sussex]

'Pirate Philosophy (Version 3.0): Open Access, Open Editing, Open Content, Open Media'

Speaker: Professor Gary Hall Co-Founding, Editor of Culture Machine (http://www.culturemachine.net/) And of Open Humanities Press (OHP), an open access publishing house dedicated to critical and cultural theory

Arts D110 at 5.00 Wednesday Nov 19

All Welcome

University of Sussex: Centre for Material Digital Culture/ Department of Media and Film <http://www.sussex.ac.uk/rcmdc/>

[attack racism]

Apparently "Margaret Wente is one of Canada's leading columnists." Apparently "she provokes heated debate with her views... Fine. I think we'd agree that heated debate and discussion are central to the sharing and deepening of knowledge. However, read these statements: "it is simply not permissible to say that aboriginal culture was less evolved than European culture or Chinese culture – even though it's true" and "The fact that North American cultures never evolved further."

I think most open-minded people would agree that there are some huge (unfounded) generalisations being made here. Wente begins her "article" with a nod towards the recent racist comments made by Dick Pound (International Olympic City) [he said: "We must not forget that 400 years ago, Canada was a land of savages, with scarcely 10,000 inhabitants of European origin, while in China, we're talking about a 5,000-year-old civilization."]. While Wente admits that Pound's remarks were "stupid" she explains why, not simply because his line is hugely offensive, but importantly because "The last thing they [B.C. government and VANOC] want is for native protests to "steal the spotlight. Comments about “savages,” in whatever language, are not helpful." Nice. So basically, say what you like, offend whom you like, as long as business can carry on as planned.

As Nick Reo at Turtle Talk notes, "her conclusions are poorly founded, contradictory, and backward-ic."

Wente attempts to support her views by referencing an "academic" text about to be published by McGill-Queenh's University Press called Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry (I won't add a link as they really shouldn't get any more publicity - plus, since when is a culture an industry?). In this book, Wente explains that the authors

"knoc[k] the stuffing out of the prevailing mythology that surrounds the history of first peoples. That mythology holds that aboriginal culture was equal or superior to European culture. At the time of contact, North America was occupied by a race of gentle pastoralists with their own science, their own medicine and their own oral history that was every bit as rich as Europe's.

The truth is different. North American native peoples had a neolithic culture based on subsistence living and small kinship groups. They had not developed broader laws or institutions, a written language, evidence-based science, mathematics or advanced technologies. The kinship groups in which they lived were very small, simply organized and not very productive. Other kinship groups were regarded as enemies, and the homicide rate was probably rather high. Until about 30 years ago, the anthropological term for this developmental stage was 'savagery.'"

and

"Today, “traditional knowledge,” which generally resides among the elders, is sought after by governments, studied in universities around the world, and recognized in environmental assessment processes. But Ms. Widdowson says most of it is useless – a heap of vague beliefs and opinions that can't be verified or tested. Why have the muskoxen drifted west? Because, according to the elders, the animals were “following the people because they missed them and wanted their company.”

The references in the book by Widdowson and Howard also cannot be taken at face-value, as substantiation of their wild views because also those academics and their ideas have been "distorted, taken out of context, and at times used to support conclusions that are diametrically opposed to our own [those of us who have been writing on indigenous oppression and self determination] perspectives." As Deborah Simmons further explains:

"In short, Widdowson and Howard have the temerity to argue that indigenous societies are a throwback to an anachronistic Neolithic stage of social history. In the face of rational modernisation, indigenous people are inherently inferior and constituted by lack: they are illiterate, dysfunctional, dependent and corrupt. The population explosion in their communities is causing serious problems.

Notwithstanding their expanding population, according to Widdowson and Howard they do not qualify for nationhood, dispersed as they are in small communities across the continent. Thus self-determination is not an option. The solution for all their “problems” is for indigenous people to submit to the evolutionary nature of history; to recognize the inherent superiority of scientific methods; to relocate from their traditional territories to urban centres; and to become “socialized” (ie. assimilated) into Canadian capitalism. Widdowson and Howard don’t hold out much hope for this solution to be workable in the near term, given “tribal” superstitions and resistance to progressive innovations. Clearly the only logical solution for the present is to cut funding for indigenous organisations and continue what they describe in positive terms as the “warehousing” of indigenous peoples on the margins of Canadian society."

Matthew L.M. Fletcher offers a response:

"First off, broad generalizations about the hundreds and thousands of North American cultures prior to, say, 1492, are utterly worthless, except for persons trying to make a political point. None of the above statements, taken together, is true for any specific group anywhere in the world. I’m from Michigan, as is my family’s communities, and they weren’t so savage. They had enormous agricultural output, even north of the so-called freeze line in mid-Michigan. In fact, these “unproductive” Indians fed the British (later American) fort at Michilimackinac in the 18th and 19th centuries with surplus corn, sqaush, beans, and other veggies."

Though the article is deeply misinformed, unfounded and largerly generalist, scarily, "we can expect it to have a long shelf life and misinform scores of people." Scary too are the myriad of comments to the Globe article that perpetuate and support these kinds of generalisations and misinformation.

[aboriginal pedagogy and language]

I've just started reading Robert Bringhurst's The Solid Form of Language. A fantastic read and the book itself is a beatiful artifact, all texture and typography, just demanding to be touched.The image of the book on the left is from phil dokas on flickr. He's done a great job of capturing the texture of the book. "Drop a word in the ocean of meaning and concentric ripples form. To define a single word means to try to catch those ripples. No one’s hands are fast enough." ... poet, typographer and linguist Robert Bringhurst presents a brief history of writing and a new way of classifying and understanding the relationship between script and meaning.

Beginning with the original relationship between a language and its written script, Bringhurst takes us on a history of reading and writing that begins with the interpretation of animal tracks and fast-forwards up to the typographical abundance of more recent times. The first four sections of the essay describe the earliest creation of scripts, their movement across the globe and the typographic developments within and across languages.

In the fifth and final section of the essay, Bringhurst introduces his system of classifying scripts. Placing four established categories of written language – semographic, syllabic, alphabetic and prosodic – on a wheel adjacent to one another, he uses the location, size and shape of points on the wheel to show the degree to which individual world languages incorporate these aspects of recorded meaning. Bringhurst’s system is based on an appreciation that indeed no one’s hands are fast enough and that no single script adheres to or can be understood within the confines of a single method of transcription."

As I'm reading this book on typographic and linguistic developments I also have learnt that First Nations peoples of Manitoba (I wonder if this is true for all First Nations peoples?) prefer to use language as their main identifier:

For me this seems to highlight the importance of an oral culture and the tradition of passing on history, stories, teachings - a kind of "collective memory" that wouldn't get passed on if there wasn't the knowledge of language.

Image above of "Plains Cree Inscription" at the Forks Park in Winnipeg, found on wikipedia.