- Engaging with Equality -

Podcast Episode #17

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Introduction song plays.

LOLA
Welcome back to “Engaging with Equality,” the podcast where we discuss the various
aspects of society with potential to implement more just practices. I am your host, Lola,
here to facilitate today’s discussion. I’m ecstatic about this topic! Today scholars will
engage in a conversation regarding methods in which the academy can incorporate
space for authors to establish identity in their writing. Shall we introduce everyone?
Everyone please state your name and academic discipline, maybe starting with Daniel.

DANIEL BARLOW
For sure! Hi guys, I’m Daniel Barlow. I have a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh
in English: Critical and Cultural Studies.

CECILIA SHELTON
What’s up y’all? Cecilia Shelton here. I’m a Black Feminist Technical Rhetorician and
Assistant Professor of Writing at George Washington University.

CHRISTINA V CEDILLO
Hello hello! My name is Christina Cedillo. My academic discipline encompasses
Education, Linguistics, Teaching Methods And Curriculum. Excited to be here.

KEN HYLAND
Hey everyone! I’m Ken Hyland, the Chair Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director
of the Centre for Applied English Studies at the University of Hong Kong.

PAUL KEI MATSUDA

Hi there! I’m Paul Matsuda, an Applied Linguist. Lovely to meet you all.

ILIANA A MARTÍNEZ
Hello, my name is Iliana A Martínez. My academic discipline is Applied Linguistics, and
my research focuses on Genre Theory, Pedagogy, and EFL Writing Instruction.

ROBERT MUNDY
Robert Mundy reporting for duty! Hey y’all. I am an English Professor and a Writing
Program Director.
BETTY SAMRAJ
Don’t worry I think I’m the last one, I’m Betty Samraj. I work as a Linguistics Professor
at San Diego State University.

LOLA
Great! Thanks for introducing yourselves. Now, let’s begin. It is relatively common
knowledge that in contemporary society, writing does not exist without bias. Because
there is no objectivity, highlighting positionality in academic work has become
increasingly necessary. Paul, I know you’ve done some research on the evolution of this
voice in writing.

PAUL KEI MATSUDA

Ah yes, the historical background of identity in written discourse evolves from the
decision to teach rhetoric and rhetorical analysis in college level writing. The concept of
ethos, or the concern for the reliability of the speaker, is a large component of rhetoric.
This makes the ability to effectively convey identity in writing ever so important. Over
the past four decades, debates over the conception of self have flourished across the
globe due to differing ideals.

KEN HYLAND
I greatly emphasize the importance of author presence in published writing, and I’ve
done extensive research on establishing uniqueness and credibility as a member of an
academic community. Author bios seem to be the best method. Here the individual can
construct a credible persona, an intimate membership of disciplinary groups, and stake
an identity claim. It is a space for the creation of a self-consciously crafted identity in a
professional context.

ILIANA A MARTÍNEZ
You make some good points Ken, but I’m not convinced readers regularly take the time
to read the author bio. I’d like to highlight my research done on the tension between the
author’s need to impersonalize their writing to present findings objectively as well as the
need to assert credibility to persuade readers of their validity. Remember, although
ethos plays an important role, facts are what should be emphasized in research. Using a
significance test, I found that in the IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and
Discussion) format author presence is found primarily in the Introduction section,
maybe it’s best if positionality is shared there.

KEN HYLAND
Well Martínez, I would argue that author bios are far more clear to readers than subtle
references to character in the introduction, but I get your point. Perhaps the use of both
would be most effective…

BETTY SAMRAJ
Listen Ken I totally support the bios! Not to insert myself, but I thought I’d let y’all know
about my research done on reader response variances depending on the degree to which
the author establishes their identity. Diction plays a much larger role than you might
think, especially the use of pronouns. How often authors refer to themselves when
writing their research greatly changes the comprehension of their work.

ILIANA A MARTÍNEZ
Wow, that sounds fascinating!

PAUL KEI MATSUDA

I think disseminating the fact that readers do think about the author's identity in some
shape or form would do a great deal for the academic community.

LOLA
These are all great ideas! Writing academic research sounds like a complex process, and
I think you all have highlighted many opportunities to incorporate the authors behind
the science into the final product. I would now like to guide the conversation towards
equality and discuss making the academic space safe for people of all backgrounds to
share their identity.

DANIEL BARLOW
That’s my que! In a post-multiculturalism world, I believe it’s time we teach students to
effectively discuss race in the academy. The avoidance of discomfort irritates me,
especially while school systems continually accommodate only a certain group of people
and not the student body as a whole. It’s important to make individuals from
marginalized communities feel comfortable sharing their identity in an academic
setting.

CECILIA SHELTON
Hey Daniel, I’m a big fan of your work. Multicultural pedagogies provide many benefits,
I especially appreciate the approach to seeing community members as knowledgeable,
even when that knowledge looks different from traditional academic practices. When
incorporating a black feminist pedagogy into my business writing class, I definitely
encountered some challenges. Upon receiving my anonymous feedback, a white male
student said he felt uncomfortable and “called out” in my class. I considered it for a long
time, but ultimately decided to keep my learning style the same. Would you have done
the same?

DANIEL BARLOW
Listen, I’ve experienced this myself and there isn’t really a guidebook on how to go about
this the right way. A fine line exists between an unsafe learning environment and
strategic discomfort, but I believe a happy medium exists. The student experience is the
most important element of the class, so it’s great that you offered them a way to provide
constructive feedback. I’m hoping you received positive feedback as well…

CECILIA SHELTON
Yes, I received positive feedback, as well.

CHRISTINA V CEDILLO
Oh, positive feedback has been received alright! As someone who favors a student-
centered pedagogy compared to a critical one, I’m also a big advocate for educators
sharing their positionality with their students. I interviewed two teachers who reported
positive feedback from the students. I love the idea of eliminating the scary, extremely
authoritative view of teachers, and I think knowing their backstory can help build trust
among students.

ROBERT MUNDY
I think positionality stories are a great starting point, Christina. To address the root
problem, training educators in multicultural competence might solve issues before they
arise. My research with Rachel Sugerman demonstrated the tension that can build in
students of marginalized communities attempting to succeed in academic spaces where
white, straight, male positions are the default norm. Being able to combat background
differences between providers of service and the second party appropriately and
effectively is something we should all be striving to achieve.

CHRISTINA V CEDILLO
Beautifully said.

Snaps and claps heard in the background.

LOLA
Wow, thank you all so much for sharing. We are unfortunately running out of time, so
I’d like to take a minute to summarize our eye-opening discussion. In broad terms, it
appears to me that there are two ways in which authors can share their identity.
Establishment of authors’ identities into pieces of academic writing itself can be very
useful to readers. Whether it's an author bio, incorporated into the introduction, or even
the linguistic style of writing, there are multiple ways to go about it. What I’ve learned,
though, is that this issue goes all the way back to the classroom. The academy needs to
highlight the experiences of those from marginalized communities to help students
illuminate their identity in writing. Multicultural pedagogies and competence should be
important elements of teacher curriculum. Does that sound about right to everybody?

PAUL KEI MATSUDA

Lovely, thanks again for having us.

BETTY SAMRAJ
Truly an honor!

DANIEL BARLOW
Indeed, a great conversation.

Unanimous agreement and cheers.

LOLA
Hey, thanks for taking the time to come out here y’all! Let’s grab coffee soon. I’d love to
learn more about how we can create a tangible plan to incorporate these ideas into
school systems and establish these writing principles for researchers.

Outro music begins.

Another shoutout to the listeners of “Engaging with Equality,” thanks for tuning in. If
you’re new here we meet every Thursday, and I’d love to see you next week. Feel free to
stream on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever else you might get your podcasts, I’m sure
we’re on there. I’m Lola, signing off.

Outro music stops.

 Works Cited
Barlow, Daniel. “Composing Post-Multiculturalism.” College Composition and Communication,
vol. 67, no. 3, 2016, pp. 411–36.

Cecilia Shelton (2020) Shifting Out of Neutral: Centering Difference, Bias, and Social Justice in
a Business Writing Course, Technical Communication Quarterly, 29:1, 18-32, DOI:
10.1080/10572252.2019.1640287

Cedillo, Christina V.; Phil Bratta. (2019). Relating Our Experiences: The Practice of
Positionality Stories in Student-Centered Pedagogy. College Composition and
Communication 71.2, 215-240.

Hyland, Ken, and Polly Tse. “‘She Has Received Many Honors’: Identity Construction in Article
Bio Statements.” Journal of English for Academic Purposes, vol. 11, no. 2, 2012, pp.
155–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2012.01.001.

Matsuda, Paul Kei. “Identity in Written Discourse.” Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, vol.
35, 2015, pp. 140–59, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190514000178.

Martinez, Iliana A. “Impersonality in the Research Article as Revealed by Analysis of the

Transitivity Structure.” English for Specific Purposes (New York, N.Y.), vol. 20, no. 3,
2001, pp. 227–47, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(00)00013-2.

Robert Mundy and Rachel Sugerman. (2017). "What Can You Possibly Know About My
Experience?": Toward a practice of Self-Reflection and Multicultural Competence. The
Peer Review, 1.2. http://thepeerreview-iwca.org/issues/braver-spaces/what-can-you-
possibly-know-about-my-experience-toward-a-practice-of-self-reflection-and-
multicultural-competence/

Samraj, Betty. “Variation in Interpersonal Relations in Manuscript Reviews with Different

Recommendations.” English for Specific Purposes (New York, N.Y.), vol. 62, 2021, pp.
70–83, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2020.12.003.