“If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive.” --Audre Lorde
I had a moment at the both the beginning and the end of the Feminist Pedagogy Conference yesterday; I relished in the fact that I have the ability spend a day listening to feminist scholars talk about the intricacies of their "intellectual signature"* (and I get paid to do so to boot). I felt really lucky to be at the conference, and savored the feeling of being able to sit and absorb the work of these speakers.
Confronting one another across differences means that we must change ideas about the way we learn; rather than fearing conflict we have find ways to use it as a catalyst for new thinking, for growth.
Just finished reading Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks late this evening, and now listening to a talk hooks gave at the Women of Color Conference. A few random thoughts follow.
