In article <1992Mar18.034710.17313 at uunet.uu.net> I wrote something perhaps of interest to readers of this group:
>Request for Discussion (RFD)
>============================
>This message formally initiates discussion of the formation of a newsgroup
>named:
> sci.anthropology
>>Meeting place
>=============
>This discussion will take place in the group:
>> news.groups
>>Meeting time
>============
>Let's aim to finish our discussion by the end of March, and hold a
>Vote in April 1992.
>>What will our charter be?
>=========================
>I've been in correspondence with others on and off for several months.
>I'll hint, in the next sections, at the views that have appeared in my
>mailbox.
>>Possibility:
> sci.anthropology is a worldwide forum for the comprehensive
> interests of professionals in and students of the science of
> anthropology. This includes the four conventional categories
> of archaeologic, biologic, linguistic, and socio-cultural
> anthropology, along with the wealth of more specialized sub-
> disciplines, and all professional concerns.
>> Questions appropriate for discussion within sci.anthropology
> include
> 1. what is a good paper to use when taking
> notes in tropical climates? Is there one
> that holds up particularly well there?
> 2. Which cultures regarded lyme grass (seeds)
> as culinary items?
> 3. What do others think about the latest results
> of investigator N on brain lateralization
> and linguistic behavior?
> 4. What archeologic evidence is there for long-
> distance sea-trade along the Pre-Columbian
> Pacific Coast of Central America?
> 5. My university doesn't "credit" publications
> in overseas journals; how can I improve my
> tenure dossier?
> 6. Has anyone written an ethnography of the
> Sendero Luminoso? Does it investigate
> the feminized militarism some observers
> have claimed prevails?
> 7. The department of anthropology at the principal
> college in country C has the reputation of
> fomenting dissent. Thugs have caused damage G;
> we call on scholars around the world to petition
> our government to take action R.
> 8. What is a good combination of microcomputer software
> and hardware to record parish vital statistics in
> the field (electricity is reliable only a few hours
> a day)?
>> Anthropology's concerns are inclusive. Almost all these
> topics invite cross-posting among several existing news-
> groups; the contribution of sci.anthropology is to provide
> a unifying perspective and tone, that of contemporary aca-
> demic anthropology.
>>Some Issues
>===========
>1. Moderation: the usual: folks like the quick response
> of an unmoderated group, and no one is in a position to
> assume the responsibility of moderation. On the other
> hand, net polluters are an annoyance. Moreover, this is
> a decision that needs to be made right, the first time;
> my sources report there just is no precedent for a news-
> group toggling its unmoderated status.
>2. Name:
> a. relation to allied groups: some favor organization
> of an entire subhierarchy, along the lines of
>> sci.anthropology.sociologic
> sci.anthropology.physical
> sci.anthropology.linguistic
>> and so on. To me, this sounds both too ambitious,
> and also rather mistaken. While the emic view, from
> within the discipline of anthropology, is that anthro-
> pology subsumes linguistics, primatology, economics,
> sociology, folklorific studies, and so on, practitioners
> in those areas legitimately argue that they have their
> own paradigms and status coordinate to anthropology.
> Therefore, I propose that we recognize and even celebrate
> the likelihood of crossposting to our fellow newsreaders
> in sci.bio, sci.econ, soc.history, sci.lang, soc.culture.*,
> sci.archaeology, and others, but we impose no necessary
> relation between any two of these.
> b. sci.anthropology? sci.anth? sci.anthro? soc.anthropology?
>3. Participation: creation of a newsgroup requires, among other
> criteria, an affirmative vote by at least 100 newsreaders. Are
> there that many of us, worldwide? I would think so, but, unless
> I receive email or other indications from a number comparable to
> this, I will have no interest in initiating a Call For Votes.
>4. Alternatives: someone with deeper experience than I can describe
> the success of the ANTH-L mailing list.
>--
>Cameron Laird +1 713-579-4613
>claird at Neosoft.com (claird%Neosoft.com at uunet.uu.net)
>cl at lgc.com (cl%lgc.com at uunet.uu.net) +1 713-996-8546
--
Cameron Laird +1 713-579-4613
cl at lgc.com (cl%lgc.com at uunet.uu.net) +1 713-996-8546
claird at Neosoft.com
