Interpretations of the written word

I am motivated by a discussion facilitated by Professor Tara Brabazon at Digital Office Hours on the 26.4.24 (see 47.49). The peer led discussion on interpretation, and citing authors of papers, books and PhD theses who didn't actually say what the citer has stated, has me thinking about interpretation in relation to Professor Brene Brown's popular psychology. Is thinking and social media derision the popular psychology reader's version of citation?

Derided in some circles and absolutely trolled on line, Professor Brene Brown appears to have polarised readers. While I can explain this from an academic point of view, I am more interested in how the readers interpret her work and what they then do with that interpretation.

I have previously stumbled on some of her words, Americanisms, that I am not tolerant of. I speak of that here in my review of Rising Strong. Similarly, people must stumble over my Aussie slanguage that finds its way into my writing: academic and popular. Given I show up in multimodal presentations across the web, perhaps readers and listeners of my work also hear my voice and find it unpalatable: my Aussie drawl characterised by the shortening of words. Example, togs instead of swimming costume, sunnies instead of sun glasses. 

Authentic writing is in the voice of the writer. Even carefully crafted academic writing is embedded with our preferences, our voice, our assumptions, biases and standpoints. It stands to reason that this is evident in the mind of the reader too. They interpret the written word according to their own assumptions, biases, positionality and standpoints...even when it is clearly not what the writer stated.

Based on my pre data-collection observations, the multi modal Professor Brown appears to not be as well known in Australia as she is in her home land. Personal communications inform me that those that do know her Down Under may have come to her via her Ted Talk.  I have had many discussions with Australian academics and non academics who were unaware she was a Professor of Social Work, that she has nine published titles and that she owns a research company.

My point is that interpretation is based on enculturation. Intellect and academic language are part of culture (Gharib 2017) and when a culturally written text enters the consciousness of a reader from a different enculturated subset, the interpretation is focused through the lens of the reader rather than the writer.

This makes me ponder peer review and the importance of impartiality and academic standards...and how difficult it must be when a well educated person writes something that is read by someone with lower critical analysis skills. Is it then fair for citizen criticism, rather than a critique, that far too frequently is publicly rallied against the writer with the intent of derision? Professor Brown talks of the concept of criticism in Daring Greatly (2012) where she references a 1910 quote from Theodore Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worse, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.

That's why I'm looking at organic intellectuals who have an ability to disseminate information back to the cultural class from which they came. Their resistance to the status quo of academic culture by joining with non academic readers who may well misinterpret the written word is curious to me.

I am merely recording this as an initial thought to be woven into a thesis chapter. The issue piqued my interest so much that it is worthy of words to further reflect upon.

Thanks Professor Brabazon, Liam and Gaye. A really interesting conversation.

👵🏼 Megan Bayliss: social work supervisor

👩🏼‍🎓 PhD candidate: social and cultural resistance to the status quo.

Footnote edit: Foucault's biographer observed that toward the end of Foucault's life that he was concerned with the public dissemination of his academic work because it created misunderstandings - effects or opinion rather than effects of knowledge (Crehan 2016). 

References

Brabazon, T. (April 26th, 2024). Graduate Studies Charles Darwin University. Digital Office Hours 51 YouTube [Video] https://youtu.be/eHLVwWJZNu4?si=2lpTtldn3r_veMUX 

Brown, B. (2012). Daring Greatly. Penguin Random House. UK.

Crehan, K. (2016). Gramsci's Common Sense. Inequality and its narratives. Duke UNiversity Press. London.

Gharib, I. (2017). An Emotional Design Approach to Develop New Cultural Products. Majallat Al-ʻimārah Wa-al-Funūn Wa-al-ʻulūm al-Insānīyah, 2(6), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.12816/0036935