Academic guidelines, generalization and inequality

Day in day out we as scholars use academic guidelines like APA style. This form of standardization is broadly accepted by the academic world. But did you ever think about the system of standardization itself?

Ever thought about the possible disadvantages for minorities this system would create? I did not before I read an article by Payal Arora  who shows the two sides of academic standardization: generalization versus individualism.

Academic guidelines and the need for unification

According to APA Style it was “first developed in 1929 by a group of social scientists who wished to establish sound standards of communication”. The aim of this system is to increase the ease of reading comprehension. We can define the problem as a need for unification. In relation to the means that can be different policy models can be distinguished.

The scientists of APA shared information about their style with the academic world, which is part of the communicative model. Besides the new style being preached by its inventors, we can also see an element of punishment in this case. Herewith a “stick” is used, as Donald Lemaire explains: “The law, backed up with the threat of sanction, represents the “stick” used to prescribe or prevent certain types of human behavior” (Bemelmans-Videc, Rist & Vedung, 2010, p. 59). As a matter of fact when a  does not implement the APA style in his or her work, it will not (easily) get published. The actors in this model have the power to indirectly ruin the academic career of sc by refusing to publish their work.

This shows that besides the communicative model, also a "stick" is used, which is part of a legal model. Last but not least the economic model is implemented which is "involving the handing out or the taking away of material resources while the addressees are not obligated to take the measurements involved" (Bemelmans-Videc, Rist & Vedung, 2003, p. 11). According to Vedung subsidi are an example of this concept, the subsidi being the “carrot”. Using APA - ion combination of course with writing a good article - might lead to the reward of being published, i.e. the "carrot".

Social inequality created by naming

One aspect of th system for making referencesis filling in the First Name and Last Name of the author which I always did mindless. For me it is just a standard procedure, however Payal Arora showed that it is not like that for everybody. Although she understands the need for academic standardization, she witnesses several cases in which this can be of disadvantage for some scholars.

danah boyd: “it's my name and i should be able to frame it as i see fit, as my adjective”

Take for example India, where your last name belongs to a caste. Being forced to use your first and last name therefore creates social inequality. for example the case of the Indian scholar Madhu, who wished to only use her first name.

In the United Kingdom where she would be part of a workshop the issue of Madhu only wanting to use her first name arose as the organizers of the event had to fill both columns as part of the academic protocol. She therefore was referred to as Madhu Madhu.

Other academics 

The case of Madhu is just one example of the many more cases in which having to use your first and last name to publish your academic work is a matter of concern. It seems hard to generalize instructions as of how to fill in names in academi as scholars have such a diverse background.

Take for example China, in which the order of your name is the opposite from the APA guidelines. Professor Emeritus of Anthropology UCSD, David K. Jordan, illustrates a common misunderstanding. As he explains, some Chinese writers in English “reverse the order and put the family name last in order to conform to English usage”. Jordan explains that this can lead to confusion when you are not aware of what the person’s first name and last name is, when they are not distinctive enough. He admits that it took him some years before he knew whether anthropologist Chiao Chien was Dr. Chiao or Dr. Chien as he saw his name in both orders.

Another example that lead to confusion in the academic world is the case of dana boyd. Yes I write her name in lower case as that is what she wants. boyd is one of the authors who refuses to use capitals in their name. On her website she explains that her decision to leave capitalization out of her name is because of political and personal reasons. The principal researcher at Microsoft Research sees capitalization your name as self-righteous which is also the reason why she does not want to capitalize “I” as well. She even aims to instead capitalize “we” or “they”. She says: “it's my name and i should be able to frame it as i see fit, as my adjective” while asking herself why she should follow a guideline.

Some organizations try to adapt to the way she wants her name to be “framed” (as she calls it herself). On the cover of her book “It’s Complicated” her name is written without capitals however the standardized categories of one of the webshops her book is sold demand to write names of authors using capitals. In the category “Auteur” (translation: “Author”) on Bol.com we see her name written with capitals. A typical example of standardization.

Book of danah boyd on Bol.com Bol.com

The start of a new policy?

The cases of the Chinese professor and dana boyd show that the case of Madhu is just one of many more in which having to use your first and last name according to the guidelines to publish your academic work is a matter of concern. It seems hard to generalize instructions as of how to fill in names in academics as scholars have such a diverse background.

However when for example Madhu would be accepted to only use her first name, this will be a privilege. The chances are higher that similar cases will be excluded by these academic organizations. At first these people can be rejected by organizations within the academic world. But as the formation of an ideology is the first step of the policy cycle, maybe these striking examples make the start for a new policy.

References

Bemelmans-Videc, M.-L., Rist, R.C. & Vedung, E. (Eds.) (2003). Carrots, sticks & sermons : policy instruments and their evaluation. Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, N.J.

Bemelmans-Videc, M.-L., Rist, R.C. & Vedung, E. (Eds.) (2010). Carrots, sticks & sermons : policy instruments and their evaluation. Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, N.J.