Networked Academic Publishing and the Rhetorics of Its Reception

Amiran, Eyal; Unsworth, John; Chaski, Carole

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/197 Copy

Description

Title

Networked Academic Publishing and the Rhetorics of Its Reception

Author(s)

• Amiran, Eyal
• Unsworth, John
• Chaski, Carole

Issue Date

1992

Keyword(s)

• electronic publishing
• academic publishing

Abstract

"Electronic publishing is part of what Mark Poster calls a cultural shift from ""print-wrapped language"" to ""electronically wrapped language"" (11), and it is here to stay. But just what is inside the wrapping? What does this shift portend for academic publishing and for culture in general? This question has been the subject of lively debate, in the course of which, we contend, some significant misconceptions have arisen. Electronic text has been put on trial in disquieting ways, for many of the same reasons that printed text was, in its infancy. Responses to electronic text tend to be shaped by several metaphorical narratives which reflect and amplify these misunderstandings. These narratives, in turn, influence the institutional reception of electronic publishing. After a brief overview of electronic publishing, we examine the details of some of these narratives, look at their origins, and consider the implications of using them; finally, we discuss the institutional realities that have resulted, in part, from the ways in which electronic text has been described, and suggest some new ways of thinking about the future of the medium and our role in determining that future."

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

• http://www3.isrl.uiuc.edu/~unsworth/centennial.review.36.1.html
• http://hdl.handle.net/2142/197

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