privileged irresponsibility presentation for meaningful life in just society conference

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Privileged irresponsibility as a barrier to achieving a meaningful life and a just society in South African higher education Viv Bozalek [email protected] University of the Western Cape South Africa

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This is the presentation I will be giving at the conference 'A meaningful life in a just society' at the University of Humanities, Utrecht in January 2014. The title of the presentation is 'Privileged irresponsibility as a barrier to achieving a meaningful life and a just society in South African higher education'

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  • 1. Privileged irresponsibility as a barrier to achieving a meaningful life and a just society in South African higher educationViv Bozalek [email protected] University of the Western Cape South Africa

2. Introduction Privileged irresponsibility How privileged irresponsibility is maintained Plumwoods (1993; 2011) dualism South African project across historically black and white higher education institutions Bringing students together across multiple boundaries of institution, profession, race and class Overcoming privileged responsibility 3. Trontos definitions of Privileged Irresponsibility 1990 taken-for-granted privilege majority group failing to acknowledge exercise of power, institutionalised racism 1993 - the ways in which caring responsibilities are unevenly balanced in society, ignoring hardships the privileged; uneven phases of care/caring process; parochialism - dont notice needs of subjugated SA situation 2013 getting a pass' out of the allocation of responsibilities; epistemological ignorance 4. Trontos rationalisations for privileged irresponsibility Protection get passes as doing more important work shielding from risks & dangers Production important work of acquiring economic resources work ethic/neoliberalism Private care exempts from care for distant others; necessary care vs personal service Personal responsibility pulling oneself up by own bootstraps 5. Definition of Dualism 'In dualistic construction, as in hierarchy, the qualities (actual or supposed), the culture, the values and the areas of life associated with the dualised other are systematically and pervasively constructed and depicted as inferior (Plumwood, 1993:47) Dualism is different from a dichotomy or distinction in that it is an hierarchical relationship in which equality is not possible. 6. Dualism Central to the construction of dualism is the idea of two polar opposites, where one pole is always less than or inferior to the other and the other the desirable norm with no possibility of continuity between these two sides (Bacchi, 2007; Plumwood, 1993) In a similar vein, in order for privileged irresponsibility to occur, there must be a hierarchical relationship where one party is regarded as less than and where there is no possibility of continuity between the two parties. 7. Central to dualism is Inferiorisation Interiorisation Othering 8. Plumwoods five characteristics of dualism 1. Backgrounding (denial) making use of the other, using the other to service the mastersneeds but denying the dependence on the other - most similar to privileged irresponsibility 2. Radical exclusion (hyperseparation) here difference is maximised and shared qualities minimised to achieve the maximum separation from the other 9. Plumwoods (1993) five characteristics of dualisms 3. Incorporation (relational definition) the inferior side of the duality is defined as a lack or negation and the superior side as the reference point, whose qualities are the primary and important ones 4. Instrumentalism (objectification) those on the lower side must put aside their own interests to become a means to an end for the master and is thus objectified 10. Characteristics of dualism 5. Homogenisation (stereotyping) - here differences of the inferiorised group are disregarded they are all seen as the same (e.g. all migrants differences denied just seen as alien) 11. How to address privileged irresponsibility? If these are the mechanisms through which privileged irresponsibility is maintained, then what can be done to reverse this position so that people acknowledge their privileges and that the servicing and caring for needs is more equitably apportioned? 12. Addressing dualisms Backgrounding recognise contributions of meeting needs and acknowledge centrality of dependency Radical exclusion reclaim denied area of overlap, provide opportunities for engagement Incorporation review identities from both sides, affirming and reclaiming subordinate resistance and reconstituting identities Instrumentalism see the other as an end in him/herself, as having needs in their own right Homogenisation seeing the diversity and uniqueness of those who have been otherised 13. South African example As a group of higher educators, we were concerned about the history of minimal inter-professional and inter-institutional contact between students from psychology, social work and occupational therapy (human service professions), particularly across historically advantaged and disadvantaged institutions in South Africa2014/01/07 14. How our project addressed dualisms Plumwood (1993) notes that to overcome the dualistic dynamic one needs both continuity and difference We thought about how best to provide opportunities for students to encounter each other intersubjectively illuminating their histories. realities and their needs to attempt mutual recognition experiencing each other as both similar and different We used various mechanisms to do this participatory learning and action (PLA) techniques, online discussions, performances, critical literature, group presentations, reflective essays 15. Inferiorisation and HEIs 16. The Community, Self and Identity Course2014/01/07 17. Community mapping as a PLA technique Step 1 Draw a picture/map of your home and neighbourhood including the resources that are there. Step 2 Identify and label three things that you would like to change in relation to your experiences (could be physical or relate to attitudes, social issues). Put these in order by choosing to give the one you feel is most important the most tokens. Step 3 Share in your group, explaining your picture/map and the reasons for wanting things to change. 17 18. Community mapping as a PLA technique2014/01/07 19. 2014/01/07 20. 2014/01/07 21. 2014/01/07 22. 2014/01/07 23. 2014/01/07 24. 2014/01/07 25. 2014/01/07 26. 2014/01/07 27. I have learnt about more about another culture and community. In South Africa, as we grow to learn about ourselves and others, we are constantly reminded of the diversity that is unique to our country- the eleven languages; the turbulent histories; and the many races to name but a few. Our diversity is a fact. However, it is not often that we are literally thrown together with people from diverse backgrounds to actually have first-hand experience of diversity (Samantha) 28. Presentation at Utrecht University June 2009 29. HERDSA Conference July 2008 New Zealand 30. Remix Theatre Company 31. TELL ME YOUR RACE THEN I WILL GIVE YOU YOUR IDENTITY 32. Critical Texts Anthias & Yuval-Davis2014/01/07LugonesDominelli 33. Privileged students responses Firstly with Masidisos drawing of her neighbourhood, I was quite surprised and saddened that her neighbourhood was quite under-resourced. It wasnt the worst that I had often seen on the news or driving past these areas, but this was different in that it was an actual experience. I listened to her tell of how far hospitals and schools were and the only way of getting there was by using the taxi service down the road. I felt lucky to be in the position that I am because every resource we need access to on a daily basis is much closer. I felt shocked at the state of affairs, but I felt guilty because my problems with my area seemed more trivial and something that one could adapt to much easier than lack of necessary resources. Upon listening to her tell the story of the life in the River of Life exercise I was quite surprised as to how much life she had lived and how she seemed so optimistic about it. Here I felt almost silly for being more pessimistic about where I came from and what I had done. Listening to Masidiso made me positively re-evaluate the way I feel about my own life and where I am going with my degree. (White Stellenbosch Universtity (SU) Psychology female student) 34. Students responses Very basically, after looking at my drawings again after a week, there is only one element that stood out and that is: privilege. I live in a privileged community with enough resources (private hospitals and neighbourhood watches) for the class it caters for. Strangely enough, this is not how I always saw my life. I was guilt ridden after making my pretty coloured drawings and glancing over to the other side of the spectrum poor communities, bad infrastructure, badly resourced hospitals and police stations. (White SU Psychology female student) 35. Privileged students responses I was extremely aware as I was sharing the picture of the well resourced context in which I live. Not only is my own background privileged, but so is the community in which I have chosen to live. Talking about the relative abundance of resources in my community evoked feelings of guilt. My picture was in very stark contrast to those of most of my group members who come largely from communities where not-enough-ness is the norm. What was so humbling was that their responses and questions were accepting, respectful and in no way indicting. (White SU Psychology female student) 36. Addressing privileged irresponsibility in the SA course Backgrounding In hearing about their fellow students lives and communities, it was possible for them to be aware of their own vulnerability and dependence in the South African context. Radical exclusion By getting students to use Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) techniques and drawing about their experiences and then discussing these experiences, students where able to experience participatory parity. Also the fact that students due to the apartheid geographical divides were physically separated from each other, and had the visceral experience of visiting each others institutions in this curriculum renewal project, radical exclusion could be addressed. 37. Addressing privileged irresponsibility in the course Incorporation Students were able to interrogate their own identities through hearing about the experiences of the other. This provided the opportunity to become conscious of master slave relationships which is still affecting relationships between privileged and marginalized groups of students in the South African context. Instrumentalism The opportunity to listen to and understand each others present and past experiences in their communities and their life trajectories made it possible for those occupying privileged positions to see members of the marginalized group as ends in themselves rather than merely as means to ends for the privileged group. What was most prevalent was that privileged students saw those who were marginalized as moral agents having needs of their own which deserved to be met. 38. Addressing privileged irresponsibility Homogenisation Through face-to-face encounters with each other and hearing about the effects of past and present inequalities and injustices on the lives of their peers, those who were in privileged positions were given the opportunity to witness the uniqueness and individuality of those who have been othered. In their responses to hearing the stories of their peers, it was apparent that those who were privileged realized, perhaps for the first time, the complexities of the South African situation with its apartheid legacy which is still affecting the lives of their fellow students. They became acutely aware of the needs of people they had hitherto been oblivious of. 39. Conclusion Course goes a little way in addressing this bringing students together who are usually quite separate from each other, by getting them to both identify with each other through discovering common concerns, and allowing them to understand the historical impact of apartheid on themselves and their peers, and by allowing them to get to know each other in their complexity and their uniqueness. However it is short and would take much more than this See Joan Trontos latest work for a more indepth account of what would need to be done (as well as Iris Marion Youngs social responsibility) 40. Community, self and identity Educating South African university students for citizenshipLeibowitz, Swartz, Bozalek, Carolis sen, Nicholls, Rohlederhttp://www.hsrcpress.ac.za/product.php?productid=2299 41. References Bacchi, C. (2009) Analysing Policy: Whats the Problem Represented to Be? New South Wales: Pearson. Bartky, S.L. (1996). The Pedagogy of Shame. In C. Luke (ed.) Feminisms and pedagogies of everyday life. State University of New York Press: Albany, 225-241. Boler, M. (1999). Feeling power: Emotions and Education. New York: Routledge. Calhoun, C. (2004). An Apology for Moral Shame. The Journal of Political Philosophy: 12 (2): 127 146. De Beauvoir, S. (1997). The Second Sex. Trans. H.M. Parshley. Harmondsworth: Penguin. Hartsock, N. (1998). The Feminist Standpoint Revisited and Other Essays. Oxford: Westview Press. Hegel, G. W. F. (1977). Phenomenology of Spirit. Trans. A.V. Miller. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Locke, J. (2007). Shame and the Future of Feminism. Hypatia, 22(4):146-162. McConaghy, C. (2000). Rethinking Indigenous Education. Flaxton: Post Pressed Munt, S.R. (2007). Queer Attachments: The Cultural Politics of Shame. Aldershot: Ashgate. Plumwood, V. (1993). Feminism and the Mastery of Nature. London and New York: Routledge. Tronto, J. (1993). Moral Boundaries: A Political Argument for an Ethic of Care. New York & London: Routledge. Young, I. M (2011) Responsibility for Justice. New York: Oxford University Press. Zembylas,M. (2005). Teaching with Emotion: A Postmodern Enactment. USA: Information Age Publishing. Zembylas, M. (2007). Five pedagogies, a thousand possibilities. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Zembylas, M. (2008). The politics of shame in intercultural education, Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 3(3): 263280. Zembylas, M. (2011). The Politics of Trauma in Education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 42. Any questions? For further communication contact Viv Bozalek [email protected]