In “Exploding, Centralizing, and Reimagining: Critical Scholarship Refracted Through the NewRadial Prototype,” Jon Saklofske discusses NewRadial, an Implementing New Knowledge Environments (INKE) prototype. In Saklofske’s own words, “NewRadial is a data visualization environment that was originally designed as an alternative way to encounter and annotate image-based databases” (n.p). Here, he situates NewRadial within the larger context of INKE’s focus (at the time) on alternative models for journals and monographs. Saklofske argues for the value of multimodal, non-linear interaction with cultural material. He supports this argument with a broader theoretical framework that blends Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of dialogic disclosure, Hayden White’s concept of narrative as metacode, and Jerome McGann’s insistence on resisting the reductive aspects of narrative. Saklofske also walks his readers through NewRadial as a prototype, pointing out the many ways that it resists the traditional reading experience.

Overall, Saklofske contributes to the conversation regarding the value and feasibility of alternative modes and methods for scholarly communication and interaction.

 

Work cited

Saklofske, Jon. 2014. “Exploding, Centralizing and Reimagining: Critical Scholarship Refracted Through the NewRadial Prototype.” Scholarly and Research Communication 5(2): n.p.