Attention this is not a regular blog post!
I want to try and make updating this post a habit going forward. I think that the more you read what I have to say, the more you should be aware of where I am getting my information from. If you were unaware already I studied history, and in studying history one of the first core ideas you learn is the importance of verifying your information! I don’t know how many other disciplines in the arts practiced this but I definatly had to write a few annotated bibliographies in my time. For a quick summary an annotated bibliography is a document that outlines what sources one might use in their research as well as an evaluation of the relevancy of the source and the overall argument the author is trying to make. An often tedious task assigned by professors, this type of practice is good because it puts on your thinking cap when it comes to evaluating sources. Never read something without thinking about the author and their perspective, everyone has a bias.
Now on the discussion of the types of sources I think that is another important thing to discuss. I want say to try my best to avoid directing you to Wikipedia pages for political, historical, or philosophical ideas. As much as Wikipedia can be a great entry point to certain ideas, I agree with educators, Wikipedia is not a definitive platform for consistently accurate information. The dilemma I have noticed is a matter of accessibility; Wikipedia articles are widely available while a lot of educational texts exist behind a paywall. So I’ve decided to kick it old school and use the Encyclopedia Britannica for many textbook definitions of terms and ‘isms’. I want to use as many scholarly things I can find that are clickable and understandable for anyone.
Another important thing to keep in mind with this annotated bibliography in comparison to a real annotated bibliography is this, I am not going to follow all the rules in official structure! You are not a professor and this is not for a mark. And if you were wondering I would have used Chicago Manual Style, it is the best citation form come at me MLA and APA lovers.
Please don’t just read my annotations and assume that means you’ve actually analyzed the links in this document. Use my annotations as a point of reference. Do you agree with my take on the texts I post? Am I missing some important elements in my analysis? Am I favouring certain sites over others? I’ve already articulated one way I am doing that intentionally. Is there anything you notice?
For more information on writing these types of documents especially for school, click here. I referenced this site a lot back when I was writing these things.
Leave your individual pride at the door.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertginsburg/2020/05/08/collectivism-and-individualism-reflections-from-a-pandemic/#4b544bd94498
The author is suggesting that collectivism is important in ecomomic recovery but individualism will be needed in the health innovations that will cure the pandemic. The author focuses his attention on American exceptionalism and a focus that the cure will come from the United States because of their longstanding history with innovations and economic incentives for individuals to make great things. The author attributes this greatness to the American constitution and the First Amendment. The post is from Forbes.com a financial paper focused primarily on economic activity with the author if this text writing primarily on financial markets.https://www.britannica.com/topic/individualism
A broad social, political and historical examination of the term individualism. The author goes into brief detail on the ideologies origins and practices across the globe. The author ends his focus in individualism with a focus of its application in the 20th century. Good source for a broad entry into the idea. Author is a professor in New York.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/collectivism
Similar to previous source this entry focuses on a broad definition of collectivism. The source should not be used too heavily as it has very little information on the topic in general, the description is quite broad. The text references other ideologies that rely on collectivism but does not go into detail on why those ideologies rely on collectivism in the first place. The text acts as more of a foil to the text on individualism, describing what it is not rather than focusing on what it is.
The author highlights the inconsistencies in American society when it clings to the idea of individualism. There is an emphasis on the limits to that idea when it comes to a pandemic and the need to adopt different ways of looking at this time. In the middle of the piece, the author almost side steps to discusses the body as a metaphor for the interconnected nature of the health care system, but comes off as a slight tangent from the general thesis. The author leaves audience on feel good cautionary moment. The author focuses on broad criticism of the ideology without directly placing blame on any one group.
This piece feels almost entirely opinion-based. The author focuses the blame on right wing ideology rather than an assessment of an American standard of living. The language used flirts with inflammatory language to describe the actions of the right. The author sees this as a ‘Trump-era’ issue. The author uses a brief history of right wing politics to add to the credibility of their argument but in doing so confuses the reader as to assuming where the credibility in their thesis lies. Is it a philosophical argument or a political one? This seems to work at it from both angles.
Author opens with earliest understanding of humans from Ancient Greece and connects it immediately to how current populations are working together during the pandemic. Author acknowledges the limits to white collar workers’ understanding of the current pandemic as they are often the ones privileged to work at home during this time. This article is important because it brings to light the question of collecting individual data for the purpose of the larger collective. An interesting idea to consider and important during this time as we rely more heavily on digital technologies for everyday use. The author is focusing for this reason on the economic interdependence of nations and the limitations individualism has in that context.
A southeast asian perspective from an Indian publication, this author reflects on Western understanding of individualism and compares it to the East’s Mahatma Ghandi concept of individualism. The author reflects on how both ideas have influenced their community with an emphasis on it’s context in India. The author cites outward responses as a threat to the idea of individualism, generating the idea that one must protect the ideology. The author reflects on the changing landscape and the rise of the entrepreneur but focuses more deeply on the illusions of individualism in a time of increased surveillance capitalism, climate change and most recently during Coronavirus. The author seems to leave on a note stressing the importance of individualism nonetheless.
The author begins the article with a brief introduction to the use of individualism and its effect on the modern world in relationship to consumerism. The author doesn’t cast any blame on one particular entity but acknowledges the longstanding history of the idea in the Western world while providing an Irish perspective to the situation. The author then focuses on addressing the limitations to the practice in a world that has increasing interdependence as well as recognizing the community nature of viruses and the importance of working together at a time like this.
