MedFem Listserv

Subscribing to MEDFEM-L

MEDFEM-L is an unmoderated e-mail forum for the discussion of feminist approaches to medieval studies hosted by the University of Iowa. The list is affiliated with the Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship, but the list is open access. Subscribers need not be members of SMFS.

To subscribe, please go to:
http://list.uiowa.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MEDFEM-L&A=1

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE MEDFEM-L LISTSERV

The MEDFEM-L listserv serves two purposes. The first is to share information with members and nonmembers about opportunities, programming, or publications relevant to the intersectional feminist aims of the SMFS, including those that are affiliated with or sponsored by the SMFS. The second is to facilitate discussion and ask questions about topics which fall within the wide expertise of members and affiliates, which spans across academic disciplines and historical contexts and periods.

We welcome you to share information and ideas with your colleagues. In all of these discussions, we would ask that you follow the guidelines below in your correspondence. The guidelines below are a modified version of our existing policies for  public discussion forums associated with the SMFS, such as our Facebook group.

  1. The MEDFEM-L listserv is a public forum, including affiliates, members, and those who are simply interested in ongoing conversations within premodern feminist studies. This community includes those from a variety of subject positions and professional statuses, and we encourage you to remain attentive to these differences in your conversations. We ask that you treat the listserv as a public forum with a diverse audience, that necessitates polite, professional, and respectful conduct.
  2. The SMFS recognises that conversation around difficult topics may arise on the listserv, reflecting the strong feelings that many of us have about the academic, activist, and political aims of intersectional feminism. We do not want to discourage these conversations as we recognise the importance of, as Donna Harraway would have it, “staying with the trouble.” However, we also want to acknowledge the necessity of maintaining civil and professional discourse, even during discomforting discussions, and to that end, as participants within the listserv:
    • Assume good intentions and engage in discussion in good faith. Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to miscommunication, misinformation, or misunderstanding.
    • Do not engage in interpersonal arguments. Such discussions about individual actions or intentions should occur between individuals in private, personal communications, not on the listserv.
    • Use respectful language. This includes putting statements in a factual and non-accusatory form, writing in full sentences, and refraining from using all caps, emoticons, asterisks or other intensifiers.
    • Avoid name-calling, personal attacks, and sarcasm. Please be aware of the distinction between name-calling and criticism: an individual who calls a particular action or idea racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. is engaging in a critical analysis, not name-calling.
    • Criticism is permitted, bullying is not. We define bullying as the exploitation of an imbalance of power with the intention to harm. Please be aware that the listserv includes discussants of varied subject positions and professional statuses, and reflect upon your own.
    • Acknowledge that racism, sexism, and discrimination based on religious, ethnic or sexual identity operates unconsciously as well as consciously. Even those dedicated to equality can have responses rooted in unconscious racism, sexism or other forms of discrimination. Be aware when a member of a marginalised group expresses a perspective that is direct and assertive, this is often perceived as rudeness or arrogance to members of a culture that expects deference from this group.
    • Resist inferring the tone of a discussion or attempting to police it. Participants should respond to the ideas and evidence presented by their fellow discussants, not their tone, and therefore should avoid responses such as “I resent your patronizing tone.”
    • Everyone makes mistakes. Own up to yours and assume apologies made by others are offered in good faith.
    • Remember that the aim of a discussion is not to agree but rather to gain deeper understanding. 

3. The SMFS has a responsibility to protect its members.

  • If you have concerns about information shared by an individual on the listserv, we ask that you contact that individual or organisation directly, and express your concerns professionally and respectfully.
  • If you have concerns about information, opportunities, or programming shared on the listserv that is affiliated with or sponsored by the SMFS, we ask that you contact the Advisory Board directly via email. We recommend that inquiries are sent to the email of the current secretary.
  • If you have concerns about the conduct of an individual, or observe any violations of the policies or guidelines outlined above, please do not continue the conversation, and instead reach out to the Advisory Board via email, so that we can take appropriate action. We recommend that inquiries are sent to the email of the current secretary, or to the Advisory Board email address here.

4. Violations of these policies may result in temporary or permanent suspension from the listserv.

 

Please feel free to reach out to the board if you have any questions or concerns about these policies.