reading notes

Notes on Kynell and Moran: 3 keys to the past: The history of technical communication.

The easy questions:

When was it published?
in 1999.

What group of scholars is the author addressing? Reseachers in technical communication.

What is the genre and what type of research is the author doing? Historical anthology.

The hard questions:

What was going on in the field when the author wrote it – how does the book reflect the conversation that has been taking place in the field?

Tech comm researchers were writing our "as-yet-incomplete" history. This anthology collects and contributes to that knowledge.

What aspects of knowledge does the author focus on and why does the author focus on these aspects of knowledge?

Other research on tech comm history focues on curricular shifts, emerging disciplinary patterns and broad movements. KM refocues on key individuals, european and american movements, key advances and reprinted articles. The rivers bibliography goes at the end.

What is the epistemological background?

Historical research that provides insight into current trends and suggests new directions.

What is the argument?
The disparity among the selections suggests that "inquiry into technical communication is virtually boundless" (p. 11) -- a very strong claim if you know what's been going on. KM argue that Tech comm isn't chained to a dsicpline: engineering, science or business. We should not priveledge one discipline over the other and explore sources from "a range of archival environments".
What evidence does the author bring?

What perspective does the author take?
There is no such thing as a "straight" history.

What perspective is under-represented or missing?

KM don't really talk about the "landmark essays" shape, as well as report, the history of the field -- but that's precisely KM are trying to do here.

Chapter notes:

None: I think I've read this book at least 108 times. Copy chapter outline for folder.

Project notes:

Tebeaux is the key essay.

Technical books were common in the 16th and 17th century, incl. techincal books for women. The first ones by women were on domestic medicine. The technical books by women have a "conversational, personal quality" w/ succinct linear instructions.

The books for midwives: women resented the fact that medical professionals were trying to supplant midwives. OK, the midwives might have had to draw on some quackery, but that's only because the physicians were publishing in Greek. So in another document the midwives propose a royally funded teaching hospital for properly educating midwives.

(!) Tebeaux views these documents as "a microcosm of social change" -- you could probably say the same thing about hacks and user-centered design.