I happened across some discussions about me pretty much by accident, and honestly I encourage ppl to think critically about what I post. But. If the fact that I make errors leads you to believe this info is inherently "untrustworthy", please reconsider ur concept of education
Something that keeps me so fired up about doing this is that I get to learn as much as I teach here. Another is that I'm basically liveblogging the process of research. I'm fine if ppl want to follow without that kind of engagement, but the idea is you can do this too.
The only reason I bring this up is because I want people to really think about *who* we leave room for to get it wrong sometimes, who gets the space to learn, and how its those working *outside* traditional frameworks we give the *least* leeway and freedom to.
Additionally, the truth oftentimes needs to change in order to stay true. Does that make sense? Because WE change and progress, so does our interpretation of historical evidence. That is CRUCIAL. If we do not leave room for that, we shut out the truth. We impede progress.
And this is above and beyond simple errors, typos, etc.; this is also about how I revise posts and info based on NEW information, new photos of artworks, new contexts for works to exist in. The only way to do this work even close to responsibly is to always change and grow.
Oh! Also some people get caught up in the idea of "academic credentials" which is sort of funny to me because 1. the work speaks for itself and 2. I enjoy talking about my academic background which is technically *staff*, not faculty.
My work was creating accessible curricula (textbooks, handouts, charts, videos) for disabled college undergrads. This is very specialized work and not cheap so it's no surprise I got laid off and my dept eliminated from the college I worked at a few years back.
I was supervising about 8 ppl when I started that work, then they slowly left & were not replaced until it was just me, and then...no one. The details of what I did are here: medievalpoc.tumblr.com/post/956431396…
I talk about it because it was really important to me as a disabled student, to actually help & advocate for disabled students once I was working. Because I *barely* made it, and had to change my career track because academia is actively hostile towards disabled students
The first 2 years I was doing this project, I didn't have a Patreon or donation button; I only made those after 1. I got laid off and 2. my partner became permanently physically disabled. I never expected to be in limbo this long, but it's you all I have to thank for my survival
But back to the matter at hand-if the bar for "trustworthy" you're setting is "never makes errors", it's not only impossible, it's actively counterproductive. Perhaps familiarize yourself w the presence & frequency of errors in traditionally published academic materials ;)
The reason I'm saying this isn't actually for naysayers. It's for ppl who support what I do, but might be a bit too invested in the idea that I must be right about everything, all the time. I'm not. Not only am I allowed to be wrong, it's sometimes a necessary part of this work.
