Subject: Re: closing shop here
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2004 16:31:32 -0800


All those interested are equally welcome to discuss the future of this list
in the Postcolonial Iraq blog. Remember Jouvert also closed sometime ago.
What's happening really? Are we leaving this public space the so-called
Homeland Security Studies instead? Are webblogs a better option? Please
welcome to:
http://jelloul.blogspot.com/




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Radhika Gajjala" <radhika-AT-cyberdiva.org>
To: <postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>
Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2004 6:07 AM
Subject: closing shop here


> Dear all,
>
> It has been a pleasure to learn about listing and moderating and to engage
> in discussion here on the postcolonial list these past 9 years since I
took
> up the task of facilitating the list. I am now leaving Spoon and will also
> no longer be moderating the postcolonial list. I have various interfaces
> already in existence that are mutations and per - mutations of my
interests
> in postcolonial theory and the internet etc and those exist outside spoon
> and will continue in  various form(at)s - so I am not altogether
> disappearing from cyberspace.
>
> My work with the spoon collective has allowed to me to continue
> investigations regarding the email list interface, management, moderation
> and communication. I have encountered all sorts of people and machines. I
> started the third-world-women list, women-writing-culture list and the
> sa-cyborgs list because of spoon (some histories of these spaces are
> available in my book cyberselves) - all these are now silent and closed
> down by default sorta. I may consider re-starting an offshoot of
sa-cyborgs
> via yahoo or something sometime next year - or not. Meanwhile those
> interested are welcome to participate in my blogspaces, my theoryhead
> formations and so on (see links in sig file).
>
> Below is a message from Malgosia Arkansas of Spoon explaining our
> collective decision to shut down:
>
>
> >This decision is part of a wider set of decisions having to do with the
> >present circumstances of the Spoon Collective.  The Collective, of which
I am
> >the sole surviving founder, has been operating continually for over 10
> >years.
> >Of the 8 people who currently constitute it, 3 have been in it basically
from
> >the very beginning, and almost all the others for almost as long.
> >
> >When the Spoon Collective was originally created, a crucial aspect of its
life
> >was our own passionate involvement in the lists we created or took over.
> >As  vehicles for bringing into mutual contact and confrontation thinking
> >people from all over the computerized world - people from astoundingly
> >different walks of life and with astoundingly different ways of thinking,
> >but with a shared passion for more accurate perception and deeper
> >understanding
> >- these lists seemed to us to present a stupendous potential for evolving
> >new modes of thought and new modes of life.  And it is essential to note
that
> >when we were motivated by a thirst for new modes of thought and life, it
was
> >for _ourselves_ that we wanted them.  Our project was not about providing
a
> >public or academic or political service, discharging a societal duty, or
> >providing platforms for this or that political organization or
orientation -
> >rather, it was about changing life - the life we think and live - right
at the
> >present moment.
> >
> >Over the years, however, our relationship with our lists gradually
changed,
> >and we now find our collective endeavor basically reduced to an
indifferent
> >performance of a not-excessively-bothersome piece of labor.  The reasons
for
> >this are undoubtedly complex - the first and simplest one, perhaps, being
> >that
> >the same group of people has been doing the same thing for 10 years.  If
our
> >goal had been less the stability of existing lists and more the
preservation
> >of our own passion, we probably could have done better.  In any case, we
find
> >ourselves a bunch of burnt out and apathetic bureaucrats.
> >
> >I personally find thie prolongation of this situation no longer tolerable
or
> >sensical.  As a result, I have (1) announced that I am quitting the Spoon
> >Collective; (2) decided to close down a number of lists that I have been
> >responsible for; and (3) declared the end of the Spoon Collective as a
> >certain historic formation, and stipulated that the name no longer be
used for
> >whatever the present members may undertake in the future.
> >
> >A number of the other members of Spoon have expressed an interest in
either
> >continuing their present lists or initiating other collective projects at
> >Virginia.  We very much hope that no matter what develops, the Spoon
> >archives,
> >which, in large part, constitute an eminently useful and fascinating
> >resource,
> >can continue to be housed in their present location.  In addition, a copy
> >of the archives is being installed at the domain driftline.org, where
they
> >will soon be accessible over the Web.
> >
> >Yours,
> >Malgosa Askanas
>
>
> Radhika Gajjala
> http://www.cyberdiva.org
> blogs: http://www.cyberdiva.org/cyberdiv/october
> research and teaching: http://personal.bgsu.edu/~radhik
> Collaborations on Theory heads, MOOing and tinymushing -
> http://lingua.utdallas.edu:7000/4425
> "Object Stares Back" at http://cyberdiva.mudmagic.com/
> http://www.pmcmoo.org:7788/16287
>
>
>
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>



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