[Sugarman] Report on Oct 8 Meeting in Ann Arbor

Keith Breckenridge keith at breckenridge.org.za
Tue Nov 5 13:41:36 SAST 2013


The meeting was held in Tisch Hall, in the History Department Seminar
Room.  I did not take a register, but the meeting was attended by about a
dozen people from several disciplines.  Originally I had intended to take
careful notes but I was very distracted by the discussion so this account
may be missing something important.   Please do remind me if that's the
case.

We began with short introductions and then moved quickly on to the question
of the dates for the first meeting in South Africa.  *We agreed that May 5
to May 19 would work.*   Some people were surprised -- and a little
concerned -- at the length of time involved in these workshops.  Future
workshop organisers may need to mix-up the events, locations and people in
the workshops.

All those present were keen to attend the first workshop.   There was a
widely expressed worry that the problem --  The Global South as a Source of
Theory -- was very close to the Comaroffs' existing scholarship -- Writing
Theory from the South -- and that *the topic should be broadened and
problematized*.
*Martin Murray and Anne Pitcher volunteered to be the Michigan organisers
of the workshop.   They will work with Gabrielle Hecht,  Keith Breckenridge
and Achille Mbembe to assemble a bibliography and a program of events.*
We agreed that a significant part of the first workshop should be focused
on intellectual biographies of the participants using short written
pieces.   These *biographies and research agenda will be posted to a web
site (Keith will do this off the WISER web site)*.   We agreed that the
program should be experimental and mindful of the fact that two weeks is a
long time for concentrated academic work.   We agreed that it would be good
to allow generous time for writing and collaboration activities, and that
some time at Wits Rural would be useful.

There was general agreement to make the next workshop -- in Ann Arbor -- on
the *Digital Humanities in the US Fall of 2014. Derek Peterson and Danny
Herwitz agreed to coordinate from the UM side. *

There was considerable discussion of the difficulties of securing
accommodation during the football season in Ann Arbor.  Danny memorably
observing that the US has football but no government.   Devon kept us all
attentive to the importance of nailing dates down so that we can nail
housing down.

If I've forgotten anything simply reply to the list with your correction.

Many thanks, Keith



-- 
Keith Breckenridge  *W I S E R* - The Wits Institute for Social and
Economic Research, University of the Witwatersrand | Pbag 3, PO Wits,
 Johannesburg, South Africa, 2050 | Tel: +27117174272  | Fax: 0867654213 |
Web: wiser.wits.ac.za
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