[esocialaction] Re: Let's roll

[Paula Graham]

I've been thinking along much the same lines - this will be a great deal
less complicated to put together as a more integral bid.

I'd also be happier working at a theoretical level across multiple
themes - my own background is cross-disciplinary and theoretical. I'd
like to see diversity addressed across the board as well as a specific
theme in itself (preferable to having the issue "ghettoised").

What I'm primarily interested in is re-positioning FLOSS discourses
within a cultural materialist (historicist) framework in order to
examine claims that FLOSS methodology is (a) profoundly new and (b)
seamlessly transferable to/appropriate to the needs of other productive
contexts - cultural or otherwise. I want to look at the material
contexts of FLOSS development and relate it's mode of production to its
immediate and global material historical contexts as well as challenging
the evacuation of history from its model of political economy. The
question of gender-specificity will inevitably form a part of this
enquiry, but I would like to place gender-critique on a more theoretical
and less positivistic footing.

The outcome (apart from publication ;-) would be an attempt to model a
sustainable FLOSS (re)production beyond the limits of its originary
material context - something which I don't believe it will be able to do
given its current discursive/theoretical underpinnings, attitudes, and
mode of production. FLOSS will stymie it's own considerable ambitions if
it is unable to negotiate and adapt to cultures other than its own.

To put it less abstractly: the culture and organisation of FLOSS
production is characterised by its originary material context - elite
intellectual institutions and sub-cultures of innovators with a great
deal of cultural capital, economically secure backgrounds, privileged
education, privileged access to power and resources. Without damaging
the "cred" it gets precisely from its cultural location which is
undoubtedly a factor in its impressive ability to penetrate the "silos"
of power, or the class/gender mode of bonding which is undoubtedly a
factor in its productive sustainability hitherto, FLOSS needs to adapt
its mode of cultural productivity (not necessarily its organisational
structure per se) if it is to be more widely implemented as a cultural
model. As it stands, it's culturally exclusionary, hierarchical,
clique-ish, and elitist as well as failing to grasp the implications of
real conditions globally in expanding beyond its existing base - not to
mince words ;-)  Given a clear diary day, I can articulate that in a
less adversarial tone!

Hope that makes sense! That'd be my theme, anyway . . .

Paula


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Yuwei Lin wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> First of all, many thanks for travelling to A'dam for this meeting. I
> was so happy to meet you all and discuss possible collaboration. I
> have a very good feeling for writing a NEST proposal, although I do
> think we need to identify our research objectives, methods and
> implications much better. Hopefully we'll be able to do this in the
> following weeks.
>
> Thanks for Soenke for sharing the insider information - it's indeed
> very useful.
>
> I've been thinking of integrating my interests in several themes
> including gender and FLOSS, learning in online communities and
> multidisciplinarity and cross-boundary work (a bit like what Soenke
> describe as p2p). As I reckon my main role in this project is to
> develop theoretical concepts and methodologies, I can see myself
> fitting into many emerging projects. That's also the reason why at the
> end of the meeting I was confused because I can't see myself only
> working on one single project.
>
> What I'll try to do now is to outline my interests and describe what
> project can be linked to these interests. I wish to do this before
> Wednesday. And see how this doc transpires.
>
> I'll be off to Taiwan for Christmas vacation on this Thursday, but
> I'll work remotely for this project and keep in touch with everyone
> via emails.
>
> Let's roll!
>
> Best wishes,
> yuwei
>