Some thoughts on the “Open at the Margins: Critical Perspectives on Open Education” book launch
I just finished watching the recording of the “Open at the Margins: Critical Perspectives on Open Education,” book launch, co-edited by Maha Bali, Catherine Cronin, Laura Czerniewicz, Robin DeRosa and Rajiv Jhangiani. I missed the live event and what was a great conversation with the authors and editors. If you are not familiar with this book, many have shared it widely and below are just some of the tweets from three of the editors:
So the publication of Open at the Margins: Critical Perspectives on Open Education, editing it with @thatpsychprof @catherinecronin @Czernie @actualham has been a transformative experience for me. https://t.co/c5qHE6JJx4
I wanna highlight some particular pieces#OpenEd20
1/n— ℳąhą Bąℓi, PhD مها بالي 🌵 (@Bali_Maha) August 17, 2020
I am overjoyed to announce the publication of “Open at the Margins: Critical Perspectives on Open Education” https://t.co/iWRfVVSPcH This curated collection is co-edited with @Bali_Maha @catherinecronin @Czernie @actualham and published by @RebusCommunity. #OEP #OER #OpenPedagogy
— Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani (@thatpsychprof) August 17, 2020
‘Open at the Margins: Critical Perspectives on Open Education’ – an open @RebusCommunity book.
happy & proud to share this project with co-editors @Bali_Maha @Czernie @actualham @thatpsychprof & 43 authors of vitally important perspectives in open education. #openedIE #digHEIE https://t.co/WZTOaIP0gA
— Dr. Catherine Cronin (@catherinecronin) August 17, 2020
I was honoured to be included in the collection, especially amongst the voices of people that I regularly listen to and whose thought processes I genuinely respect. Not necessarily because I always agree with them, but because they push and stretch my thinking. I am not going to review or even share extracts of the book because I would not do it justice. Putting aside my self promotion, I do think it is a great read and you should check it out, it is available here – https://press.rebus.community/openatthemargins/. It is an easy book to read because most of the chapters are short and about a length of a blog.
For me, this type of work represents a particular part of Open that I am excited about. It is great to bring people from different corners, to explore a subject from different angles. I also like the continuity of this project where works from different years are put in conversation with each other. I hope there are more future projects like this, aiming to include more voices from the margins. I think there are actually more people on the margins compared to those who are on the inside. Inclusion of the voices on the margins for me is not just about being nice, it is also a recognition that knowledge and wisdom can come from everywhere. It is about the disruption of hegemonic knowledge structures that have formed out of a false perceived superiority. It is really in the end about a recognition of the interconnectedness of humanity. Yes, there, I said it, for me, Open (of all forms and aspects), is about interconnectedness and recognition of each other’s humanity. I do not know how possible it is to do work on, in, or about open with that such a recognition.