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The Community College Mission: How Inclusive Pedagogy Emerged from the 1947 Truman Report and the Open Door to Higher Education

By Layla Azmi Goushey

This piece is the first in our series on pedagogy, focused on themes of inclusivity and equity. The introduction to the series can be read here and pieces in the series will be linked in the introduction as we publish them.

I met for coffee with a friend, a retired English faculty colleague, a few years ago and after catching up on current events, we got onto the subject of our teaching methods.  She had taught at my campus for 36 years, and I occupied her previous office. I described a few of my approaches to inclusive pedagogy and expressed my interest in cutting edge theories of teaching and learning.  As we compared notes, I realized that my colleague had utilized many of my “cutting edge” approaches in the 1970s. “Yes, we tried that,” she thoughtfully said. I had mentioned my interest in encouraging students to write without self-criticism toward their “home” language or dialect, the natural way we all speak (and text). Writing is recursive. We can always seek feedback, self-edit, review, and revise.

A May 9, 1971 article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explains the concept of the Open Door to Higher Education.

At first, I was discomfited as I mulled that my cutting edge method existed 45 years earlier, but then it occurred to me that my colleague was a trailblazer. I had inherited her and her colleagues’inclusive,  institutional framework. The ongoing conversation about inclusive pedagogy at my college was initiated by them. She had been at the forefront of one of the most transformational moments in education: The creation of the community college.

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Announcing Our Upcoming Pedagogy Roundtable

When this roundtable was just a seed of an idea, it was really a reaction to a demonstrated lack of interest in producing inclusive pedagogies. Both on social media and in private conversations, students expressed a desire to see more diverse syllabi and approaches; the discourse became even more divided as more time passed, giving us temporal distance from the Black Lives Matter protests of summer 2020, a reaction to the murder of George Floyd. Educators said they did not think more inclusive pedagogies were necessary. But there was also a rush to make syllabi and lecture series more inclusive by simply assigning diverse writers, a perspective that was perhaps equally damaging. This roundtable is an attempt to push past this. Over the coming weeks, Hazine will be releasing three essays on pedagogy; it is a selection that emphasizes equitable teaching, rebellious teaching, teaching that uplifts students and gives their ways of thinking recognition. They raise questions of technique. Our roundtable features educators from a variety of settings with different areas of expertise and are tied together by their thoughtfulness and intelligence. No matter your field, no matter if you are an educator or not, this roundtable will  delight and challenge you to think about how we as diverse societies and communities have access to information.

We will be releasing the series over the next few months (and will be linking the pieces below as they are released). There are three in total. We will be taking a break midway through to allow for other content, but check back regularly, subscribe or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

The Community College Mission: How Inclusive Pedagogy Emerged from the 1947 Truman Report and the Open Door to Higher Education by Layla Azmi Goushey

“On Rebellious Teaching: Lessons from a Black Feminist Gallery Teacher” by Alexandra M. Thomas

“Crafting the Syllabus: Representation, Expertise, and Student Learning” by Sophia Rose Arjana

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Call for Pitches: Music in Archives and Research

Image taken by Heather Hughes at UCSB Library Special Research Collections

How does music constitute an archive? What happens when we listen to or play music from the past? Hazine is seeking 3-4 pieces on music and sound collections from the Mashriq, Maghreb, East Africa, West Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Greece, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean that address the following topics: 

  • Music collections and sources for the study of music and performers 
  • Collecting sound recordings, either for institutional and personal collections 
  • Radio, performance, and re-release as research or archive
  • Situating music history and sound collections in different fields
  • Musical transformations and traveling of songs/melodies in different contexts and places 

Send pitches to hazineblog[at]gmail.com by February 14th, 2021.

Pitches should be no longer than 300 words and should be accompanied by a few sentences telling us who you are. For this call, we accept archives reviews, essays, resource guides, and are open to creative formats like zines and comics. We are open to different forms of style as we expand this category of the site but do have a look at the essays we’ve run previously, like this one on typography and this one on archivy, because they demonstrate what we’re really looking for: a strong point of view.  Our standards for archive reviews are here, but we also take more narrative introductions to archives, like this one. Completed essays –if accepted– will be 2000 words or less. Deadlines for completed pieces are flexible. Each piece is paid 100 USD upon publication. 

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A Short Introduction to Kurdish Online Resources

By Bahadin H. Kerborani

A General view from Silêmanî/Sulaymaniyah “The Capital of Kurdistan” which was founded by the leader of Kurdish Baban Principality, Ibrahim Pasha Baban in 1784.  Silêmanî has been one of the major centers for education, culture, and history in Kurdistan. William Heude, A Voyage up to the Persian Gulf, and a Journey Overland from India to England in 1817” (London: 1819).  

Kurds, especially in Turkey, have faced some of the most systematic assimilationist policies in the Middle East since the early years of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. The Kurds have not been allowed to establish their own centers for the production of knowledge under the uncertain and perilous conditions in Northern Kurdistan and Turkey. Therefore, the Kurds and their friends have created some indispensable organizations and platforms in diaspora to preserve Kurdish written materials and cultural artifacts from attempted state annihilation.

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Call for Pitches دعوة لكتابة المقالات CLOSED

This call for pitches is now closed.

Why have many artists chosen the digital sphere to represent their artwork? How has it impacted the appearance of their work and the meanings conveyed? Hazine is seeking 3-4 pieces on the digital world and art from the Mashriq, the Maghreb, East Africa, West Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Turkey, or Iran. If you’re an artist, tell us what drives you to employ digital tools in your artwork and how these tools influence your work? Have you collaborated with other artists online? If you’re a consumer of art, how has viewing art online changed your relationship with it? Does it change the nature of consumption? Send pitches to hazineblog[at]gmail.com by Friday, January 22, 2021. To ensure a more organized process, please only send pitches and ideas by e-mail rather than through comments to this post.

Pitches should be no longer than 300 words and should be accompanied by a few sentences telling us who you are. Pitches (and pieces) are accepted in English and Arabic; we accept essays and are open to different forms. We are open to different forms of style as we expand this category of the site but do have a look at the essays we’ve run previously, like this one on typography and this one on archivy, because they demonstrate what we’re really looking for: a strong point of view. Completed essays –if accepted– will be 2000 words or less. Deadlines for completed pieces are flexible. Each piece is paid 100 USD upon publication. 

لماذا اختار الكثير من الفنانين المجال الرقمي لممارسة الفن؟ كيف أثّر ذلك على شكل أعمالهم الفنية والمعاني التي يريدون إيصالها؟ ترغب خزينة في نشر من 3-4 مقالات عن العالم الرقمي وعلاقته بالفن في المشرق والمغرب وشرق أفريقيا وغرب أفريقيا وجنوب صحراء أفريقيا وآسيا الجنوبية وجنوب شرق آسيا وتركيا وإيران. إذا كنت فنانًا، أخبرنا ما الذي يدفعك نحو استخدام الأدوات الرقمية في أعمالك الفنية وكيف تؤثر هذه الأدوات على إنتاجك الفني. هل قمت بالتعاون مع فنانين آخرين على الإنترنت؟ إذا كنت من متابعي الفنون، كيف أثّرت مشاهدتك للأعمال الفنية على الإنترنت على علاقتك بالفن؟ هل غيّر الإنترنت طبيعة استهلاك الأعمال الفنية؟ قم بإرسال نبذة أو فكرة عن المقال الذي تريد أن تكتبه يوم الجمعة، 22 يناير، 2021 كحد أقصى إلى البريد الإلكتروني hazineblog[at]gmail.com.

لضمان عملية منظمة، نرجو إرسال النبذ والأفكار عبر البريد الإلكتروني فقط وليس من خلال تعليقات على هذا المنشور.

يجب ألا تكون النبذة أكثر من 300 كلمة وترافقها بعض السطور عن الكاتب. تقبل خزينة النبذ والمقالات باللغة العربية والإنجليزية، وترحّب بأساليب الكتابة المختلفة. نقوم الآن بتوسيع الجزء الخاص بالكتابة حول الفن على الموقع ويمكنك إلقاء نظرة على هذا المقال عن تصميم الخطوط الطباعية وهذا المقال عن الأرشفة لأنهم يُظهروا السمة التي نبحث عنها في الكتابة: وجهة نظر قوية. إذا تم قبول مقالك، يجب أن يكون 2000 كلمة أو أقل، وهناك مرونة في موعد تسليمه. سيتم دفع الكاتب 100 دولار أمريكي عند النشر.

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Grounding Theory in Material Objects: An Interview with Dr. Marianna Shreve Simpson

I was fortunate to be able to participate in the Introduction to Islamic Manuscripts class taught by Dr. Marianna Shreve Simpson through the Rare Book School (RBS) in 2019. Simpson has had an extensive career curating, researching and teaching on Islamic art and book arts. She has held curatorships at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Walters Art Museum, along with a number of other roles. 

RBS offers 5-day courses related to the history of the book on a variety of topics.  The Introduction to Islamic Manuscripts Course was taught once in 2006, and then started being offered again in 2018. Over the course of a week, we learned about the different components of manuscripts with the collection at the Free Library in Philadelphia. 

Besides enjoying the hands-on time with some lovely manuscripts, a big highlight was learning from Simpson! Given that there are limited opportunities to learn about Islamic codicology, or the study of books as material objects, I wanted to hear more about her interventions into this field, as well as her curatorial experiences. 

(Questions prepared by Heather Hughes)

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Archives and Libraries for the Study of Afghanistan

By Munazza Ebtikar

Issue numbers 21-22 of Zhvandūn, a popular magazine published in Afghanistan in the mid-20th century. This particular issue published on 17 August 1974, features the popular Afghan artist, Ahmad Zahir. World Digital Library (WDL), Library of Congress

More than four decades of continuous war and conflict has impacted the preservation and access to archival material in Afghanistan. As official and non-official holdings within the country were subject to heavy censorship in the 20th century by various Afghan governments, the creation of colonial and imperial archives became important sites for knowledge production on Afghanistan and its people. From the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s onwards, research centers, archives, and institutes were established largely outside of Afghanistan to provide information on the conditions of the country due to the threat of insecurity and censorship in Afghanistan itself.

The past two decades have marked an exciting turn for students and scholars of Afghanistan as new holdings within and outside the country have been established, expanded, and increasingly made easier to access. This is in large part due to the amount of funding and the new-found international attention given to Afghanistan since the early 2000s. In recent years, previously classified government documents from various countries are becoming declassified, and archival material is being digitized for public use. Other archives and holdings, such as the archives of the Afghan Presidential Palace (ARG) and the Archives of the Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) are in the process of becoming accessible to researchers in the near future.

This is a list of both physical and digital holdings currently accessible to students and researchers for the study of Afghanistan. Although the majority of the holdings, especially ones that are digitized, are easy to access for the public, the physical holdings in Afghanistan would require contacting the friendly staff –the majority of whom speak English and local languages such as Persian and Pashto– in the archives and libraries directly.      

This list is organized alphabetically. Please note that due to COVID-19 access policies to archives and libraries might change. 

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In Alienation: Arabic Typographic Matchmaking

By Marwa Gadallah 

Neue Helvetica Arabic (sample text),
designed by Nadine Chahine

If you were becoming an Arabic type designer, one of the things you would need to consider, oddly enough, is Latin type design: much Arabic type design involves creating Arabic counterparts to existing Latin typefaces, a process known as typographic matchmaking. The Arabic script was incorporated into printing technology –outside of Arabophone contexts for the purposes of those who studied Islam for both academic and polemic purposes– roughly a century after the Latin script: Gutenberg, the inventor of Latin movable type, didn’t design printing with the Arabic script in mind. Arabic is composed of 28 letters, which have four letterforms (isolated, initial, medial and final forms), thus requiring a large number of type pieces to be created and the process was time-consuming. Today, while the computer allows us to communicate in Arabic without having to worry about the multiple letterforms, out of the same Gutenbergian legacy comes typographic matchmaking.

In typographic matchmaking, a type designer studies the letterforms of the Latin typeface they are interested in and incorporates their features into the design of Arabic letterforms while maintaining their physical appearance as Arabic letters. An example is Neue Helvetica Arabic, based on the Latin script typeface Neue Helvetica. Typographic matchmaking represents a cultural and practical discourse that Arabic type designers engage in as they work with Arabic type: consequently, Arabic speakers have few typefaces that they can rely on for day-to-day uses.

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Using the AlKindi Catalogue as a Bibliographic Tool for Islamic Studies (and an Introduction to Cataloguing Standards)

By Jean Druel and N.A. Mansour

In light of recent events in Lebanon, we want to encourage you to donate to support domestic workers via Egna Legna, an Ethiopian domestic worker-run organization based in Beirut Lebanon, which has over the past three years assisted domestic workers including victims of horrible abuses to the best of its ability. We also recommend donating to Beit el Baraka. Use this tool to find more places that need donations.

If you’re an Arabist, think about the digital library or archive catalogues you use and then try to count the number that have interfaces and data available in Arabic. There are few in Arabic, although there are more catalogues and tools that are in Turkish. In addition, the design of these resources often is adapted without much alteration from tools produced for European-language materials for European-language audiences. It dismisses even the possibility that other intellectual histories rooted in different contexts function differently and require different things from their organizational standards; it also dismisses the notion that technologies are neutral and that they are inclusive.

A doorway in the IDEO featuring mashrabiyya (Photo Credit: N.A. Mansour)

The Arabic intellectual tradition is built around commentaries all expressing different and often diverging opinions, although they are often tied to the same text. So in order to study, for example كتاب سيبويه Kitāb Sībawayh, you need to be familiar with existing critical editions of the text. You might also want the commentaries written on it. You also naturally want the secondary sources on it as well: Arabic journal articles and monographs, as well as those written in other languages. Your institution’s standard catalogue might not be as much help here. You need a catalogue built to these bibliographic purposes. The AlKindi catalogue, developed by the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO) is the best solution to this problem of needing research tools in Arabic, built for Arabophone audiences with the Arabic intellectual tradition in mind. It’s also the solution to our bibliographical problems, essentially letting you browse online more effectively.  It’s not perfect yet, namely in that it does not include every Arabic book ever written but each day, the catalogue becomes a stronger engine, as more data is added to it and as more people use it; it is often the first result you find when using a standard internet search engine to look for a text, like, say كتاب سيبويه, Kitāb Sībawayh. The cataloguing team has needed to expand multiple times to accommodate the work-load and under the direction of Mohamad Malchouch, it is full-steam ahead for the project. Here, we’ll be giving you an introduction to using the system, as well as a crash-course in cataloguing standards.

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Donate to Hazine

A hazine or a khazina خزينة  is a repository. It is where you put things. Accordingly, Hazine began as an archives review site in 2013, producing content relevant to Ottoman, Middle East and North Africa studies.  Since ‘relaunching’ in 2018, with new editors, Heather Hughes and N.A Mansour, Hazine has continued to provide the research community with archive reviews, but the site was also reworked to be more broadly inclusive of cultural heritage and information science professionals and highlight their contributions to research on the Islamicate world across time.  We introduced our new resource lists (including for visual sources and digitized collections), as well as interviews and essays, as we saw increased opportunities for Hazine as a publishing platform. We began to rethink the website’s visual identity. We have also added two editors, Shabbir Agha Abbas and Marwa Gadallah, to our team to support the demand for diverse content. 

Hazine is not supported by any university, research center, or think tank. It is not funded by a private individual who has their own agenda. Its contributors and editors are all volunteers.  To continue producing material responsibly, inclusively and ethically, we need funding. Over the next month, we are fundraising to give us a budget to support our expansion. At a very basic level, this will allow us to keep the lights on, paying for our web hosting services, which is up for renewal in August 2020. However, funding will also allow Hazine to

  • Pay our contributors –many of whom are graduate students, independent researchers or contingent faculty– an honorarium, in line with the ethics we hope to embody; provide a small stipend to our editors; compensate any experts we may consult with.
  • Continue to produce content more regularly and in other languages; expand our offerings, including digital humanities tools.
  • Translate existing content into other relevant languages using professional academic translation services. 
  • Incorporate more materials for the general public, in collaboration with the public. 
  • Employ a freelance graphic designer to produce a new logo and visual identity for Hazine.
  • Eventually apply for a 501 C3 license, which will allow us to apply for further funding and help with taxes. 
  • Continue to build collaborative relationships across our many overlapping, shared communities.

We will need to raise a minimum of 5000 USD in order to begin to continue producing content and implementing changes along these lines; this will be our budget for the next year. If  you have students you refer to our site, if you use our site yourself, if you appreciate the need for open-access and ethically produced content relating to history and knowledge production, and if it is comfortably within your means, please consider making a donation. You can make a one-time donation here or set-up for a recurring donation here. If you don’t have the means to donate, please share widely on social media and email your colleagues the link to our donation page: this will be a huge help. 

Fundraising will allow Hazine to continue to operate independently and allow us the freedom that institutional ties might not be able to give us. We hope to be able to, funding permitting, send a small token of thanks to our funders. 

(Special thank you to Neelam Hussain, Marcia Lynx Qualey, Marc Reyes, and Jasmine Soliman for their advice on fundraising)