[Koha-devel] Coding Guideline proposal

[Joy Nelson]

Hi all-

At the last developers meeting I volunteered to draft a proposal on
Inclusive Language to the Koha community coding guidelines. The proposal is
below along with some reasons why we would want to do this as well as a
couple of resources for those wanting to do a deeper dive into the topic.


Thanks!

Joy


Proposed addition to the Koha community coding guidelines to cover
Inclusive Language.

https://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Coding_Guidelines#Terminology

**proposed addition**

TERM3: Inclusive Language

Use inclusive language that promotes a community where everyone feels they
are represented.  Avoid terms that express or imply negative ideas that are
racist, colonialist, or otherwise biased towards groups of people. Refer to
the terminology list for terms to use/avoid.

Example: Instead of using the term blacklist, use deny list which more
accurately describes its function.

**end proposed addition

Explanation:

At its best inclusive language promotes respectful relationships in a
diverse community by allowing everyone to feel they are respected,
represented, and welcome in the discussion.  At a minimum inclusive
language avoids offending others.

In the U.S. (and possibly other countries) terms such as ‘blacklist’
reflect back the racist culture to the reader by equating the term black
with 'bad' and white with ‘good’.   The words we use in our communications
have meaning, both explicit and implicit, and it’s important to consider
how our words are being heard by others in our community.

"Language is central to our experience of being human, and the languages we
speak profoundly shape the way we think, the way we see the world, the way
we live our lives."
 “How Does Our Language Shape the Way We Think”, Lera Boroditsky
<https://www.edge.org/conversation/lera_boroditsky-how-does-our-language-shape-the-way-we-think>


Resources on race and language in the US and New Zealand:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3868/15e565ec2d8191acb0dcb06ddb59c0780ef0.pdf

Sites: New Series - Vol 13 No 2 2016

<http://dx.doi.org/10.11157/sites-vol13iss2id326>

Accounts of Blatant Racism Against Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand

by Sylvia Pack1, Keith Tuffin2 & Antonia Lyons

Understanding Systemic Racism in America, Smithsonian Magazine
<https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/158-resources-understanding-systemic-racism-america-180975029/>


-- 
Joy Nelson
President, Koha Division
she/her

ByWater Solutions <http://bywatersolutions.com>
Support and Consulting for Open Source Software
Phone/Fax (888)900-8944
What is Koha? <http://bywatersolutions.com/what-is-koha/>
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