Wikipedia Dispute Resolution: Case Studies in Israeli/Palestinian and Other Nationalist Conflicts Over Article-Writing

Elonka Dunin

Wed., June 10, 2:00–3:00, Browsing Library (2nd floor, West Central)

Like “laws and sausages”, Wikipedia’s articles have a turbulent political environment behind-the-scenes. Editors from around the world argue forcefully about how articles in geopolitical topics should be written, and accusations of nationalist bias are a frequent charge from the different sides of various disputes. Elonka Dunin, longtime Wikipedia editor, and one of the 1600 volunteer administrators, will provide examples of some nationalistic disputes on Wikipedia, and discuss the challenges in editing articles about such topics as Israel, Palestine, Eastern Europe, and other areas where nationalistic, geographic, and ethnic disputes over thousands of years have made writing a “neutral” article very challenging, indeed! Elonka will also discuss the types of dispute resolution procedures and community management issues that are evolving in the “encyclopedia that anyone can edit”!