Why do this?

The decision to start a blog must always be accompanied by a justification. Blogging academics (those people employed or registered at a HE institution) are now a feature of the 21st century university sector. But explanation for this isn’t so much an exercise in self-congratulatory examinations of the world, as there attempt to show the outside world what thought processes go on within academia. This has become a hot topic within the university sector, as institutions have latched on to the idea of ‘public engagement’ (a somewhat useless and patronising idea). This blog aims to give its readers an insight into a humanities research student’s world. In doing so it provides me with an opportunity to do three things. Firstly, some light social commentary, people who know me know that I have strong political views. I try my hardest not to let them impede on my work as I believe that too much politics clouds ones academic judgement, that said I intend to do odd posts about politics and society (But I will endeavor to keep them to a minimum!). Secondly, I will use it to practice my writing. This may seem an odd thing to say, but I have Cerebral Palsy which means that I find it difficult to type my work so dictate it instead, as I have the use of my right hand ( my left is just used to hold caps lock down!). So this blog will give me the chance to practices doing some writing on my own. Finally, although I won’t discuss my work directly, this blog will mainly consist of posts where I flesh out ideas associated with my research and try to explain academic concepts.