At the ASNEL/GNEL conference in Hanover earlier this year (2011), one of the items for discussion in the AGM was the name of the association itself. It quickly became apparent that this discussion deserves further attention and a forum to give the different ideas that emerged there greater justice. In this regard, the ASNEL committee has elected to create two different forums: An internet platform, using the template of a weblog, and a special issue of the ACOLIT, both devoted to this discussion.
This blog, as weblogs have come to be known, offers a forum that we hope will foster a continued dialogue on the issues surrounding the name of our association. The advantages we see in the blog include this capacity for response and dialogue, the broad audience the blog can potentially reach, its less formal nature, as well as the typical advantages of print media (relative permanence, non-present audience, time for reflection and editing in preparation for one’s own responses).
Lengthier contributions (or statements) can be uploaded by emailing them to the coordinator of the blog, currently Kylie Crane (crane(at)uni(hyphen)mainz(dot)de). All statements can be commented on in real time by all viewers . To do so, all you need to do is press the ‘leave a comment’ button below the entry. Note that comments will be mediated in order to minimize unsolicited responses (aka spam).
We look forward to a lively and productive discussion.
