ERIC Number: EJ1007022
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Mar
Pages: 18
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0895-4852
EISSN: N/A
Attempting to Balance Wiki-Feminism: A Case Study
Bruno, Walter
Academic Questions, v26 n1 p30-47 Mar 2013
There has been a long culture war over the validity of "Wikipedia" for research. Many university departments banned it as a primary source starting around 2007, but many others still allow it as a heuristic prompt. Certainly, one knows that students are still going to "Wikipedia" and dabbling in it. This reflects a recent gain in "Wikipedia" status; if searching a topic on Google, one is first directed to the "Wikipedia" entry for it. This article builds upon recent debates over "Wikipedia," by focusing upon the ways in which some "Wikipedia" content--that relating to identity politics--is not only written, but edited and influenced by political camps. Initially, the author reports on his own attempts to revise content for two articles appearing in "Wikipedia's" English database. His goal was to correct perceived imbalances in articles that dealt with gender politics or figures within gender politics. In the case of the first edit of the first article, his changes were "undone" within hours. In a similar editing exercise involving a second "Wikipedia" topic, his revision was rejected within twenty minutes and described as "malicious" and "vandalism" in a message left for him by the editorial "volunteer." (Contains 36 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Feminism, Web 2.0 Technologies, Primary Sources, Censorship, Editing, Electronic Libraries, Electronic Publishing, Case Studies, Gender Issues, Information Policy, Academic Freedom, Political Attitudes, Credibility, Integrity
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2189
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A