Claude suggests The Reflexive University is forthcoming, by me. I’ve never heard of it but I think it’s a great idea. Here’s a synopsis:
- Reflexivity refers to the process of critical self-examination and self-awareness when generating knowledge claims.
- A reflexive approach recognizes the subjective positionality of the researcher and examines how their social/cultural context shapes the research process.
- The reflexive university likely advocates embracing reflexivity to address biases, assumptions, and limitations in academic research practices.
- This could involve researchers articulating their theoretical priors, being transparent about methods, acknowledging limitations, considering alternative viewpoints, examining their own positionality and blindspots.
- The book may argue that embedding reflexivity into institutional norms could improve the rigor, transparency, diversity and ethicality of knowledge production.
- However, without being able to read Carrigan’s specific arguments and proposals in the book, I cannot summarize its exact details and recommendations regarding the “reflexive university”.
But in broad strokes, the book likely makes the case for greater reflexivity in academic knowledge creation and offers ideas for how to cultivate a more self-aware, critical reflexive ethos within higher education institutions.
Major case of shiny new thing syndrome kicking in here, given that Generative AI for Academics and Platform & Agency are both 80% complete, but I really like the idea of writing this book taking generative AI and social media use by academic as case studies:
- Both involve rapidly emerging technologies whose scholarly use has outpaced ethical norms and critical perspectives.
- Lack of reflexivity leads to unexamined risks like privacy issues, reproducing bias, and overreliance on automation.
- A reflexive approach would involve transparent debate about academic values challenged by new tech like authorship norms.
- Social media and AI also create complex new dilemmas like establishing boundaries between professional and private selves online.
- Adopting these technologies reflexively could mean considering impacts on marginalized people and intellectual decrement.
- Case studies could articulate reflexive best practices for using social media and AI productively and ethically.
- Contrasting reflexive vs non-reflexive adoption illuminates why reflexivity matters in navigating tech’s unintended consequences.
- Both technologies shape knowledge production itself, necessitating reflexive examination of how academic work changes.
