Category: Academia
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Thoughts on Silence
When those in power remain silent about abuse and those who commit and enable it, they become part of that abuse.
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Thoughts On “Hitting Submit”
So, we finally hit submit on a manuscript 3 years in the making, and eeekkk!! My last post was about a collaboration between myself, Mary Byler, Rhoda Witmer, and Jasper Hoffman on a research study about the frequency of child sexual abuse within conservative religious groups. Because Plain Anabaptists are insular groups that often are…
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Thoughts on Mennonite Church USA, Dove’s Nest, and Goshen College’s Dr. Jeanette Harder
CW: rape culture, abuse enabling, church complacency In 2019, Allen Hoover and Dr. Jeanette Harder co-authored a book intended to discuss abuse in “our” Plain communities. That may have been the first sign of a problem, given the fact that Jeanette Harder is not, and never has been, Plain. Although Allen Hoover is Plain, the…
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Thoughts on To a Girl of 11 from Sacred Subjects
CW: child sexual abuse, incest, rape culture For a small book – a booklet, really – To a Girl of Eleven has given me a large number of thoughts, none of them good. For those who are not aware, To a Girl of Eleven is a part of a series of books, The Sacred Subjects,…
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Thoughts on Advocacy, Nonprofits, and Academia
So, as I work on a project related to child sexual abuse among Anabaptists, especially Amish and Plain Mennonites, I’ve been thinking a lot about advocacy, nonprofits, and academia. I’ve realized that many people take a one-size-fits-all approach to advocacy, nonprofits, and academia. Rather than listening to those we are seeking to support, we tend…
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Thoughts on Academics “Selling Out”
I have thought a lot about academic integrity, and the ways in which some academics choose to “sell” their academic integrity in exchange for access to research participants, social clout, or professional status. This is often seen as a harmless “exchange,” but it has real consequences for people outside of academia, people who often don’t…
Tara's Thoughts 