Sunday, 5 March 2006

Titular thoughts

In the blogosphere, any old conversation can become new again; the case in point is Eszter Hargittai’s post on the various and sundry titles used to refer to her (þ: Daniel Drezner).

I’ve said my piece on this before—indeed, over time, I’ve become rather more enamored of the title “doctor,” perhaps because (a) I won’t actually lose that title in May—unlike “professor,” which will go on haitus until at least August, and perhaps permanently—and (b) I continue to spend time in the South, where people with doctorates are typically so-addressed.

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Perhaps your more enlightened readers can clear something up for me….

I have oft been told the apocryphal tale that loooong ago academics were the first of have the title “Doctor” and that physicians more or less glommed onto the title to gain respectability as they emerged from the era of semi-reputable blood-letters.

While I LIKE this version of history, I am unsure of the veracity of this tale.

I find it hard to believe that no history grad student has done a dissertation of the history of the title.

DAI search, anyone?

 
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