A Call For Constructive Engagement

Online-Veranstaltung zu Banned Books am Welttag des Buches

Gemeinsam mit der Kommission für Queere Hochschulpolitik der bukof (Bundeskonferenz der Frauen- und Gleichstellungsbeauftragten an Hochschulen) organisieren die Queerbrarians (eine Netzwerk queerer Librarians) ein queeres Online-Event zum World Book Day.

Nach einem einführenden Vortrag auf Deutsch von mir sprechen Eve & Lucie auf Englisch. Sie kämpfen gegen die Book Bans in ihrem County in Tennessee.

Das Event ist kostenfrei und braucht keine Anmeldung. Alle Interessierten sind herzlich willkommen.

Titel: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Datum: 23. April 2025

Uhrzeit: 16:30 bis 18:00 Uhr

Flyer & Infos

Grieving, grieving, constantly grieving. I mourn what could have been, what should have been, what will not be, what I cannot save.

Fuzzy's January 2025

I listened to three audiobooks this month, which is two more than I usually do. I also read academic books, articles and more, as well as blogs, stories and news online. This has brought a lot of amazing ideas and concepts to my mind and inspired me to write and blog more. It has also made me feel anxious, but the latter is more due to the current state of the world. It's been a January, you know.

Glitter

This is the Farbschnitt of a Killer, Bella

Mäßigungsgebot

Auch etwas, mit dem man sich mal beschäftigen sollte.

Queering Libraries

While libraries have always been queer, libraries have not always been openly queer. And they still aren’t, although we’ve made some small strides.

What do you think it is that makes libraries (openly) queer?

[...] the white cishetallopatriarchy that continues to be the accepted norm in libraries, despite the harm it causes.

What are your thoughts on how we can change this?

Smith-Cruz, S., & Howard, S. A. (Hrsg.). (2024). Grabbing Tea: Queer Conversations on Identity and Libraries. Volume One. Library Juice Press.

My thoughts

What is it that makes libraries (openly) queer?

It's the diversity of collections, the tags and classifications used to make collections accessible, the way collections are presented, the way libraries present themselves, the way libraries and librarians engage in reflection on societal norms as well as their own, and the way they speak out to support and care for the most vulnerable communities they serve. The line between being queer and being openly queer seems to be blurred. For some it's already being open to actively use queer tags. For others, it starts with reflection and open engagement. I certainly lean towards the latter. It's about self-reflection, engagement and using their institutional voices.

How can we change this?

Firstly, you cannot do it alone. Not as a single library, not as a single person. You need a community. You need communities. Not just to make change happen, but to understand what needs to change and how. Secondly, you need to listen to those who raise their voices on issues and aspects where your first reflex is to say that cannot be considered at the moment, or not until other issues or aspects have been addressed. It's not about doing everything at once, it's about adjusting plans, taking into account multi-faceted and multi-layered perspectives, planning ahead together and giving everyone a say. Third, don't let differences of opinion divide your community. Don't let differences of opinion divide your communities. Look at the bigger picture together. Care for all vulnerable communities. We are all human beings.

Most Ardently

How can you better the future, if you continue mimicking the past.

Oh, the irony of posting this quote in these times. How can A Pride & Prejudice Remix be so relevant today? I'm deeply concerned for my friends and all the people who are being targeted in the United States at this very moment. Over here, I'm afraid I'm looking at our past and our future at the same time when I see you and what you're facing right now.

More than anything else, this was what he wanted. To be himself, in the open, unabashedly.

That's all we want. How can we be a threat by being ourselves?

And what kind of life could one have with a crushed soul?

I don't know, but it feels like the world is trying really hard to crush our souls at the moment.

[...] you’re a different person when you’re permitted to be yourself. You’re so much more at ease, so much happier. [...] your entire demeanor is more authentic.

Because our souls aren't crushed when we can be who we are.

Novoa, G. C. (2024). Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix. Feiwel & Friends.

blog like no one's following you

Gorilla Of Destiny, who call themselves "world leading researcher in magic science", has a few words to add that just speak to me.

[...] I want to talk about why anti-intellectualism is so important to them, and then ways that you as an individual might be able to help against it.

Now, the first big reason they do this is because they're wrong.

[...] if you start listening to the expert, then you're going to realize they're wrong and not just wrong, obviously wrong.

There's also a few other reasons, like they don't want you actually thinking critically, and that's what a lot of degrees teach.

So what can you do? Well, there's a few things, but it is difficult. Read. Read anything, honestly. Non-fiction, fiction, doesn't matter, just keep reading.

[...] being able to research will be a very important skill in the coming years.

The other thing you've got to do is make sure you're not putting down different studies. STEM degrees are not inherently better. Trust me, I did one. All education is valuable, especially in the arts.

Sometimes they go after specific intellectuals rather than all of them at once. [...] Though from what I can tell, this is just the opening gambit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBnA6AhbTEs

The Enemy

The Professors Are the Enemy.

So, according to J.D. Vance, I am the enemy. For people like him, education and knowledge are almost as frightening as empathy and compassion.

Klimaungerechtigkeit

[...] da wir gelernt haben, »unsicher« in der Wissenschaft mit »keine Ahnung« zu übersetzen. Das Gegenteil wäre korrekt.

Es gibt kein brisanteres Beispiel dafür, dass ein Wort in der Wissenschaft eine andere Bedeutung hat als in der Alltagssprache und welche weitreichenden Konsequenzen das nach sich ziehen kann.

Was es zu retten gilt, ist nicht das Klima oder die Menschheit. Es geht schlicht und einfach darum, die Würde und Rechte der Menschen – und zwar aller Menschen – zu retten.

Das wird gerade von jenen nicht verstanden, die argumentieren, das Klima sei auch früher schon mal so warm gewesen und wahlweise die menschengemachte Klimaerwärmung daher kein Problem sei oder die gegenwärtige Klimaerwärmung gar nicht menschengemacht wäre. Insbesondere letzteres, also die Frage nach den Verursachenden, verblasst im Kontext des Zitats zu einem irrelevanten Aspekt eines gesellschaftlich relevanten Problems, das es dringend zu lösen gilt. Die Frage nach den Verursachenden gewinnt jedoch enorm an Bedeutung, wenn es darum geht, eine verantwortliche Rolle bei der Lösung der Gerechtigkeitskrise zu übernehmen und den am stärksten Betroffenen zu helfen.

Der kolonialfossile Klimawandel ist daher im Wesentlichen weder Klimakrise noch Klimakatastrophe [...], sondern eine Gerechtigkeitskrise. Diese Gerechtigkeitskrise durchzieht die Geschichte der Menschheit und findet nicht erst statt, seit der Klimawandel ein Thema ist. In Kombination mit den Auswirkungen des Klimawandels hat diese Gerechtigkeitskrise jedoch eine neue Dringlichkeit und globale Dimension erreicht, die nur mittelbar mit Physik zu tun hat.

Die menschengemachte Klimaveränderung mag zwar ein naturwissenschaftliches Problem sein. Die Herausforderung und damit auch die Krise, die sich daraus ergibt, ist jedoch eine gesellschaftliche.

Dies ist zum einen dem Selbstverständnis der meisten Naturwissenschaftler*innen geschuldet, die sich als »neutral« und damit außerhalb politischer Zusammenhänge sehen – was in meinen Augen eine Illusion ist. Daher klammern viele Forscher*innen eher politisch konnotierte Inhalte wie Schäden und Verluste von vornherein aus ihrer Arbeit aus.

Dieses Zitat kann man direkt mit meinem Post What and how we research in Zusammenhang bringen.

Otto, F. (2023). Klimaungerechtigkeit: Was die Klimakatastrophe mit Kapitalismus, Rassismus und Sexismus zu tun hat. Ullstein.