Is Another World Possible? Is Another Classroom Possible? Radical Pedagogy, Activism, and Social Change
2005; Volume: 32; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2327-641X
Autores Tópico(s)Political theory and Gramsci
ResumoIntroduction: From Porto Alegre to Santa Barbara (1) TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD HAVE ATTENDED THE World Social Forum (WSF) over the past five years (2001 to 2005). The WSF is a key counter-hegemonic site for the global or anti-globalization (Fisher and Ponniah, 2003; Klein, 2002; Leite, 2005; Starhawk, 2002; Welton and Wolf, 2001). (2) While business executives, financial leaders, politicians, intellectuals, and occasionally some rock stars annually meet and discuss the benefits and costs of corporate-led globalization at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, activists within this eclectic movement of (Mertes, 2004) explore strategies and policies for putting people before profit (Derber, 2002). Challenging the much-repeated and highly cherished neoliberal maxim that there is no alternative, the Forum provocatively proclaims, is possible. This rather brash and perhaps even utopian statement mirrors Zapatista Subcomandante Marcos' (2001) famous declaration, seek a in which many worlds fit. Having been involved with the anti-sweatshop and other social justice movements over the past few years, I strongly embrace both axioms. In fact, the unofficial motto of one of my classes, titled Racism in American History, is classroom is possible. I often tell my students, cannot create that other world, that where many worlds fit, unless we first create another one in which all voices and lives count. To repeat an old-time activist adage, we must think globally and act locally. As most sociologists might say, we must connect the macro and the micro. Gandhi took this position one step further, stating, change that you want to see in the world. How does one actually do that? How does one for social justice (Ayers, Hunt, and Quinn, 1998)? How do critically minded educators teach to transgress (hooks, 1994), while balancing ideals with institutional constraints (Sweet, 1998)? How classroom, one in which students and teachers not only think, but feel and act, taking great risks along the way, be established? How an egalitarian, exciting, challenging, and loving space, one where students and teachers talk, argue, laugh, cry, hold hands, sing, clap, role-play, and organize rallies and teach-ins, be created and sustained? How do teachers for social justice motivate, inspire, and encourage students that they can change the world without burning themselves out (Loeb, 1999)? For students and teachers who are working toward creating that other world, that other what keeps them going over the long haul, despite all the obstacles (Horton, 1998; Nieto, 2003; Solorzano and Yosso, 2001)? In this article, I explore these questions using my experiences and reflections from teaching Racism in American History. I also interviewed several students that previously took the course and reviewed some of their papers and writing assignments. This piece is a work-in-progress--a rare opportunity to think, pause, and reflect. Due to the time-space compression (Harvey, 1989) or the speed-up of everyday life, coupled with the intensification of work and the multiple commitments that come with being politically active, I have been unable to critically interrogate and evaluate my pedagogical practices and strategies. This effort is designed to do that. I hope that the following analysis will illustrate some of the intellectual and emotional challenges students and teachers face when theories of social justice and activism are incorporated into race relations courses. The Setting: Sun, Surf, Suds, and Science--Fact or Fiction? For the past seven years, I have taught in the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). UCSB is located in a beautiful, idyllic location; the campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean and on clear, sunny days, the Channel Islands are visible. …
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