Discussion of Dangerous Living

Three main themes came out of our November 13th discussion of the documentary Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World (see previous post): Colonialism, Gender, and Community & Home.

Colonialism
From the discussions in this film, anti-gay sentiments in many countries can be seen as pushing back against colonialism. It’s the legacy of colonialism: the Western worldview has been so ingrained because of it. Homosexuality was never at the forefront in these countries and now it is. It’s very easy to blame them or attribute it to their culture or religion, but instead we should consider our own historical legacy as part of the problem. The Western world should consider the legacy they have left behind. The treatment of gay people in colonized countries is not that much different than the treatment of gay people in the colonizing countries: only 70 years ago people went to prison for being gay in the UK. The documentary even mentioned “undeveloped” countries which is really a colonial term.

Gender
Gender is very complex in cultures. In the Western world inferiority of women has traditionally been a strong view, that did not exist in the African world prior to colonialism. Contemporary western perspectives of gender are different from what they were. The experience of being gay in different cultural environments is sometimes connected to gender.

There also seems to be a connection between the treatment of women and the treatment of gay people. The more oppressed women are, the more oppressed gay people are. There is a worldview that encourage the oppression of others as if people of other cultures are lesser than we are.

Community and Home
In the U.S., religious gay people may not want to come out for fear of losing their community. Community is very important and coming out may be life or death, like in some of these cultures, or it may be a matter of just not being accepted by your community. There is a need for home to create a sense of feeling, belonging, community, and safety. That home doesn’t have to be a location – the internet has allowed so much networking and community building that there’s an emergent sense of home there. The global action after the Cairo 52 is probably much due to that.

There is a choice in immigration that has a lot to do with your community. You can stay in the country and do activism to get visibility or you can leave and seek asylum elsewhere and try to do work from the outside. Furthermore, if they’re seeking asylum they are refugees and not immigrants. Is this even the right world to come to?

There is a feeling with activism that it’s not just for yourself, but all human beings. It’s not just civil rights, but human rights. If someone attacks you and your community, they’re really attacking humanity. That’s the inspiring message from this documentary.

October 9, 2008 Meeting

Announcement
First Open Windows guest lecture series with Ebony Three Arrows, Keeper of the Fire for the Tsalagi (Cherokee) in Boston, is October 21, 2008 in 4-034 University Hall 5:00-6:00pm.

Discussion
Watched DVD documentary called Why Critical Pedagogy? from The Paulo and Nita International Project for Critical Pedagogy with Peter Lang Publishing. This also mentions the upcoming documentary called SLAM High about using slam poetry for learning. Here are the first two minutes of the introduction:

Maximizing learning for English language learners pt. 1: Models for Teaching (available in Ludcke Library)
In terms of Critical Pedagogy it is important to validate the cultures of the students in the class as you help them with their English skills. Empower them by honoring their diverse backgrounds rather than imposing the dominant culture on them. We’re a product of our own education, training, culture, etc. and need to recognize that as we try to integrate other cultures in the classroom.

Looked at art by Luba Lukova on Social Justice.

Gender: This is understood differently in different cultures and is socially constructed. Look at heroines of Disney movies and popular fairy tales: they have no agency. The heros take action and control, but heroines are acted upon. The villainess characters are active, showing sexism in female power and agency as negative.

Activity: In-Role/Hot Seat
Someone takes on the role of a character or a historical persona. It’s not acting, but rather taking on an attitude. You have to consider where the character sits in terms of their attitude and improvise answers to questions from that perspective.
Example: Taking on the role of the Wicked Step Mother in Snow White and answering questions about power and living in a man’s world.
This is a way to rewrite stories through narrative. Teaching in-role gives ELL students an opportunity to get engaged with characters and figures they are learning about. It helps them want to communicate.
Also, try using this technique with students in pairs where one is in-role and the other asks questions. As they build communication skills, students can do this in front of the class as a form of presentation of their own reading and research into a character or person.

Resources
Duncan-Andrade, J.M.R. & Morrell, E. (2008). The Art of Critical Pedagogy: Possibilities for Moving from Theory to Practice in Urban Schools. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

McLaren, P. & Kincheloe, J.L. (Ed.) (2007). Critical Pedagogy: Where Are We Now? New York: Peter Lang Publishing.