User:MsTingaK

This user has been on Wikipedia for 15 years, 8 months and 10 days.

This user has written or expanded 1 article featured in the Did You Know section on the Main Page.

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Aim

My aim is to write about places, persons or events that may otherwise be forgotten and create a balanced cite of knowledge. Particularly, the narratives of African women who often get written out of history or are in danger of being forgotten.

My Wiki Awards

The Africa Award on November 24, 2010

Systematic Bias and Deletion Requests

As part of the systematic bias project, I also try to create articles of people that are notable but would otherwise not be given deserved recognitions for their contributions.

Deletion Nomination

Some of my articles are nominated for deletion due to this bias. whilst some remain, others are deleted. However, for the most part, the nomination is due to the following reasons.

My Concerns about Systematic Bias

• Ethnocentrism- Big/Rich country vs Small/Poor country - Big rich countries seem to be more 'significant' than small poor countries in practice in article considerations. Although this is not always conscious, I encounter this situation a lot.
• Cultural Relativism - There should be consistency when it comes to the relative equivalence in another geographic space. Consistency in consideration for "noteworthiness" of people is tied up to a country's status in the political economy. ie a nationally recognized television personality in Kenya, USA, Jamaica, or Cambodia receive different treatment.
• Consistency in recognition of national bodies, awards, and individuals - these are dependent on the country's status in the political economy.
  • Local recognition in rich countries is often considered more 'significant' then national recognition in a poor country. ie an American idol winner/contestant or British pop idol winner/contestant often receives a page even though they are only relevant in the local context. Yet, this is not the case for poor countries, even when the person, body, or award is a national.
  • Notoriety based on a national award from richer countries, seem to have more significance then an award from a poor country.

(ie. a few dictators have received honorary awards from universities in the US that bare no significance to the nations they come from.)

• Political Economy, Hegemony: Arguments brought forth are that certain countries have a bigger population and are therefore more significant. However, Jamaica (2.7M), Israel (7M), Cuba (11M), Malawi (15m),Spain (47M), South Africa (50M), UK (62M), France (65M), Nigeria (162M), and USA (311M) it would yield different reactions. Often, articles about countries with smaller populations are often given more attention because of the status of the country. - some nations have more clout then others and this is not because of population size but because of where they stand in the world hierarchy of nations.
• The grand narratives of history, science, society etc... are often propagated. Alternate views are often deleted even if they have a significant backing, proof etc.. or even if it is stated that the grand narrative is contested and there is an alternative view.