Editing for Primates

Rebecca has a critical mind, and loves asking powerful questions that have the potential to transform thinking. From (re)considering our place in nature to providing advice on argument construction, Rebecca enjoys deconstructing and reconstructing narratives, tropes, assumptions, science, society, and humanity through the play of language.

EDITING

I love words – playing with them, compiling them, using them to create a mood or emotion, having them incite deeper reflection, and, most importantly, communicating a message. I’ve even studied the evolution of language (in primatology) to better understand the cognitive, social, and evolutionary purpose of clear and effective communication. Over the last six years, I have helped numerous non-native-English-speaking  academics and nonacademics articulate their work so it has a consistent format, flow, voice, and message. This has included manuscripts for publication, chapters, and even whole  books; my contributions range from proofreading to copyediting to substantive editing. I am available for editing work – contact me if you  need help with your writing!

After receiving my PhD in Biological Anthropology (studying primate behaviour), my interest grew to include cultural elements that contribute to the general public’s perception of science, evolution, animals, and nature. I wouldn’t consider this a major shift; as a primate that studied primates, I was always highly aware that traditional primatology is about negotiating the boundaries of ‘self’ and ‘other’ – between ‘human’ and ‘animal’, ‘mind’ and ‘body’, ‘culture’ and ‘nature’. It is, in other words, a highly symbolic scientific discipline. This prompted me to go from conducting traditional ethology research to ensuring that people understand the implications of science (and its symbolism). I am particularly interested in how people come to understand science and our relationship to the natural world through (pop)culture – e.g. going to a zoo imparts far more of a message about our right to dominate the planet than it does to encourage behaviours that would lead to saving the world’s species. I use this interest and knowledge in my teaching of science, recognising the power of culture to shape how students approach and frame a (scientific) subject.

hendershott.r@gmail.com

RESEARCH

I published a paper on how prehistoric hominids are artistically portrayed for educational purposes, drawing on my knowledge of human and primate evolution and linking portrayals to their sociohistorical context (Didactic and artistic representations of prehistoric hominins: Who were we? Who are we now?). I am also part of a few different teams working on papers on science in pop culture; one project is about vaccination attitudes as expressed through memes (Injecting fun? Humour, conspiracy theory and (anti)vaccination discourse in popular media), another dissects what an old silent film can elucidate about modern academia and the pursuit of science (Science as comic violence and trauma: Clowning and academia in Victor Seastrom’s film ‘He Who Gets Slapped’). Recently I wrote a text on why people are drawn to (and upset by) animals in circuses (Interspecies relationships in circus: A distilled cultural history), to be published in a photography book.