You can't force people to change

I did a presentation in my Performance History class last night about a scholar named Sarah Amira De la Garza. De la Garza is an ethnographer. She's very interested in embracing alternate methodologies and ontologies that challenge the hegemony that's rampant in academia currently (I know, it's a mouthful. Think hooks and Freire-- she's on board with their perspectives). As part of the assignment, I had the opportunity to speak to De la Garza on the phone and ask her about her work. One of the things that she said that really stood out to me was that forcing people to change before they're ready is a form of violence.

It's really easy for me to look at people around me who are not only content with, put actively participate in, perpetuating the current power imbalances in the world and want to persuade them to change their minds. Tying back into hooks and Freire, it's a form of violence to oppress people, and as such I want to convince people to do what they can to stop contributing to the oppression of others. However, De la Garza's point was a really good check for me. If I am trying to force others to adopt my beliefs, however right I believe that they are, I am oppressing and inflicting violence myself. Also, as a side note, it most likely won't even work, as it's impossible to force someone else to change. No human being has that power.

De la Garza's quote has led me to reflect back on many of the discussions that we've had in this class throughout the semester.  And yes, this includes Fish. I think this is a scenario where his caution about not teaching from a soap box is very relevant. But I also believe, along with Freire, that continuing to maintain the status quo is unacceptable as it perpetuates a form of violence. So what's the solution? I believe that it all comes down to dialogue, just as we've discussed in class. The key is to expose students to new ideas and ways of thinking without trying to influence them to adopt them. It's essential that I do not try to prevent them from speaking, even if what they're saying is, in my opinion, inappropriate. Instead, I can use that as a teaching moment and have a discussion about some of these larger issues.

Thankfully, this is still pretty theoretical for me. I'm not aware of any instances where I've tried to force people to my way of thinking (this is something I actively try to avoid, whether as a teacher or in other areas of my life). Though I suppose that doesn't mean that I haven't done it unwittingly. However, I think that it's important for me to actively do all I can to help and teach people while consciously trying to avoid oppressing them in any way. My reflexivity is key as I try to make my actions match up with my beliefs-- especially as I interact with others.

I feel like I keep coming back to this theme, but I suppose that's because it resonates with me so deeply. My job is to teach students how to think critically for themselves, and then trust them to use what they've learned in ways that they choose. I suspect that this will be the main point of my teaching philosophy paper, as all the theories and tools that we discuss in class are ultimately, for me, ways to make this happen more effectively.