Chad Nilep
On socialism, liberalism, and neo-liberalism
“Socialism” and “liberalism” are poorly defined in US politics; the former is over-applied to left-of-center positions, and the latter used in two almost reverse ways. “Neoliberalism” is a hot topic in contemporary anthropology, but the word is sometimes used without sufficient reflection. One way to spot the best work is to look for authors who take pains to define the terms.
Digital Content Editor self-introduction
Introducing myself, my work, and my ideas for digital content at SLA. I see the Society for Linguistic Anthropology’s digital content as serving essentially two audiences: Society members and a broader public. My goal as DCE is to continue the good work undertaken by the SLA in recent years and to carry it forward into the future. SLA members also have a role to play in digital content, contributing your knowledge and expertise.
On Free Will
A light-hearted dialogue on the meaning of “free will”, inspired by Karl Smith at Modeled Behavior.
Research Works Act – H.R. 3699
The “Research Works Act”, H.R. 3699, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2011. The Association of American Publishers applauded the bill, but some scholarly publishers have expressed opposition. This post provides a brief summary of the bill and arguments in support and opposition.
Year-end Roundup
In lieu of an inaugural posting as the in-coming digital content editor (it’s coming next year, I promise), enjoy this year-end roundup of ling-anth related stories.
Executive order on Native American Language Revitalization
The Linguistic Society of America’s Committee on Endangered Languages and their Preservation is carrying out a letter-writing campaign to urge President Obama to sign an executive order. According to the LSA-CELP, “U.S. government agencies would be directed to ensure that their policies, procedures, and functions support community-based language revitalization. It would compel governmental agencies to follow through on the promises of the Native American Languages Act and the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act.”
American Anthropological Association 2011 Annual Meeting
The preliminary schedule for the the American Anthropological Association’s 2011 Annual Meeting, to be held in Montreal, Quebec November 16-20, has been released. The preliminary program does not include abstracts, and there may be some changes.
Balinese language level at Johnson
The “Johnson” language blog has an interesting post on Balinese language levels and the effects of nationalism, globalization, and modernity on the Balinese language.
Proposed changes to human research protection “Common Rule”
The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the Common Rule. The Common Rule regulates human research protections for work supported by many US government agencies, and as such has a large influence on the practices of Institutional Review Boards and US universities, research institutes, agencies, and the like.
Code of ethics for forensic linguistics
This piece does not reflect the official opinion of the Society for Linguistic Anthropology, its officers or its individual members. The Linguistic Society of America’s “LSA Ethics Discussion Blog” has posted a draft Code of Ethics for Linguists in Forensic Linguistics Consulting. The authors seek comments on the draft policy, primarily from members of the [...]
