Cynthia Enloe Reflection

I felt very fortunate to be given the opportunity to learn and absorb advice from Cynthia Enloe. Her book and reflections helped me answer questions surrounding research and our roles as responsible members in academia. I particularly enjoyed her extensive details of the book publishing process. It can be easy to assume, glancing down at a book, that somehow the title, cover and back blurb just came together with no real extensive thought.

One of my favorite topics that we discussed, was the notion that ‘the personal is political’. I think this is such an important concept to consider and talk about in a group setting. Before taking classes with Professor Wibben, I thought politics was a completely separate realm in itself, distinct from science, business, sports, film and the personal. What I have come to realize from many classes and from talks like Enloe’s is that everything is political. The way we make decisions, rationalizing certain choices, what we consider more important and how we interact with others is all rooted in the politics of living. Her description of the book-making process illuminated this reality in a very tangible way.  She detailed going back and forth with the publishers about the name, if it was too associated with a Disney character, and deciding on a book image.

Another key piece of advice she provided was thinking about your audience. One of my favorite things she said concerned the style of writing. She urged us to use notes, but not in a combative way. I had not really thought about this before, but a certain style of writing can be very aggressive and serve as a deterrent to hearing what an author has to say. I don’t think this means you have to compromise your passion, but it just means that you should be aware of your audience, so that people can fully understand your intentions and ideas.

--Erika