20 questions for dana (vultures not allowed)

[henry quirk]

a craft guild maintaining a degree of control over who and what is incorporated into 'academia' in order to maintain a high level of excellence.

drawing from above...the second and third questions

within your field (a brief description of that would be nice), who determines what is 'excellence', and how do 'they' arrive at such a standard?

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by henry quirk

a craft guild maintaining a degree of control over who and what is incorporated into 'academia' in order to maintain a high level of excellence.

drawing from above...the second and third questions

within your field (a brief description of that would be nice), who determines what is 'excellence', and how do 'they' arrive at such a standard?

My field is history, and in particular 18th and 19th century class and gender history. It is the 'elders' of the field, if you will, who determine excellence. As a historian's reputation builds through peer reviewed, researched work, they become the directing forces within the field. There are distinct generational shifts within that. But it is essentially a set of standards arrived at through a collaborative and competitive system of relationships and institutions. It occurs partly through printed dialogue and partly through collaborative working. It is a changing landscape.