I’ve been across several books and articles lately (and don’t seem to be able to finish anything in one go!). It’s probably reflective of being across so many spaces; though, I enjoy wearing several hats at once and find that it brings new perspectives to my work and research.
I’d also been missing my old study approach of print copies with sticky notes throughout, so I went and bought a few of the books I was working through for my PhD so that I can jump between digital and print copies.
Missy, one of our cats, has been monitoring my reading and PhD progress.
Three things I’m reading
- Critical Disability Studies as Methodology (Schalk, 2017) and Enabling Whom? Critical Disability Studies Now (Minich, 2016)
Strictly speaking, both of these articles make four things I’m reading (not three); however, I’ve grouped them because I’m reading them simultaneously. My PhD thesis incorporates critical disability studies into its theoretical framework, which may surprise given it’s about open knowledge. However, reading Moore’s work (below) and reflecting on concepts such as participatory governance led me to consider how a critical disability theory lens could offer distinct perspectives. As Schalk, drawing on Minich, describes:
“we can understand critical disability studies as a method, an approach, a theoretical framework and perspective—not (exclusively) a study of disabled people” (Schalk, 2017).
Critical disability theory (and my own lived experiences) have given me new understandings of care ethics, and I’m really enjoying theorising and considering the nuances of this in openness and governance.
- Publishing Beyond the Market: Open Access, Care, and the Commons (Moore, S. A., 2025)
Lately, I’ve been referencing a lot of Samuel Moore’s work in my blog posts. I’ve been drawn to exploring care ethics, community, and relationality in open access and how these intersect with governance processes in knowledge production. I haven’t finished reading this yet – and that’s in part because I’ve been jumping up with excited thoughts every few minutes and flown into a flurry of writing.
I credit this book (in part) to my methodological breakthrough in incorporating critical disability studies into my doctoral research. As I was reading it, the overlap with values from disability culture jumped right out at me, and over time, I’ve started to realise some of the different perspectives disability offers to openness and concepts like care.
- Philosophy of Open Science (Leonelli, 2023)
I’ve only recently made a start on this book. The theory of ‘judicious connection’ introduced by Leonelli (2023, p. 8) sees openness as “grounded in a process-oriented epistemology of science.” It’s situated in and responsive to local contexts and knowledges, and focused on relationality (connections). I’ve been particularly interested in how ‘transparency’ is framed. Leonelli describes focusing on inclusion over transparency (2023, p. 43). I particularly appreciated this understanding:
“Transparency is thereby achieved through inclusive deliberative processes that cultivate trust and a shared understanding of the circumstances under which findings and procedures may be regarded as reliable” (Leonelli, 2023, p. 57).
Reading this work has left me thinking about how we theorise not only transparency but also vulnerability in openness. More to follow to in future writing.
What’s next?
My fiction list is growing, and on top of my printer I currently have books by Emily Austin, Kay Kerr, and Murakami. I’m not sure if I’ll get to these anytime soon (I remain very focused on non-fiction and PhD-related reading/writing lately), but I think I’m okay admiring the covers from my desk until I have the time to give them my full attention.