Przejdź do głównej zawartości

Let’s Meet at the Intersection of You and Me

Let’s Meet at the Intersection of You and Me
I have a question for you: Who are you? Can you describe yourself in a single word, a single sentence? Is it even possible to encapsulate who you are in words?
In all likelihood, you have attempted to whittle yourself down to a digestible description. And, if we are honest, these descriptions never do us justice. Yet, we so often focus on our own and others’ singular identities, while missing the greater portrait of who we each are.
So, what does that mean for those who are driven to bring about change—for example, we Humanity In Action Fellows?
It means that we must abandon simplistic ideas of identity and expand our toolkits to include frameworks and theories that make space for the complex people and problems we seek to resolve. Today’s addition to the toolkit, then, is intersectionality. A concept developed by Kimberlè Crenshaw, intersectionality was intended to provide a framework for understanding overlapping identity discrimination, specifically for women of color in the United States (see U.S. Supreme Court Case, DeGraffenreid vs. General Motors). In today’s Fellow’s Discussion, we examined how this theory influences our own identities from our own and from others’ perspectives. While our discussion focused upon sharing our own intricate identities and reflecting on how identities intersect (i.e., gender and age or sexuality and nationality), this post will question how we act upon intersectionality.
In Maria Lugones’ “‘World’-Traveling, and Loving Perception,” she proposes that we each attempt to travel between worlds to experience and understand what others have experienced. Now, for this type of traveling it is not necessary to literally travel. Instead it is necessary to have what is termed a “loving perception” in contrast to an “arrogant perception.” Those who arrogantly perceive produce worlds built upon assumption, and, therefore, fail to identify with others and lovingly perceive. When we lovingly perceive, we need not physically travel, but instead must acknowledge that we will not only not be able to understand experiences we have not had. Likewise, we must not attempt to dismiss that differences exist between us.
Rather, we will “consult something other than [our] own will and interests and fears and imagination.”
With this framework in mind, I would encourage each of us to embrace loving perception in the context of intersectionality. Validating another’s experiences will not decrease the value of our own experiences, but instead will allow us to discover other worlds, particularly ones we seek to support in our drive toward change. Adding loving perception and intersectionality into our social justice and human rights toolkits provides a new vantage point. It allows for us to be multi-dimensional and, therefore, recognizes that others’ struggles and needed solutions should not be siloed, but interconnected.
Remember, when I asked who were, if you could whittle yourself down, so that I would be able to understand this abbreviated version of you? What if instead I asked you if I could visit your “world”? Would you meet me at the intersection of you and me?


Katherine Feske-Kirby, 2019 HIA Warsaw Summer Fellow
Pieces written by 2019 HIA Warsaw summer fellows represent
their individual opinions.

Komentarze

Prześlij komentarz

Popularne posty z tego bloga

Is Winter Coming?

Is Winter Coming? In the book The end of history and the last man, Fukuyama argues that, following the ascendency of Western-style liberal democracy following the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, humanity was reaching "not just ... the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history. That is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government". But is this really the end of the history? The 2016 election made clear that the United States of America is a nation deeply divided along racial, cultural, gender and class lines, prone to populism. In Poland we are observing slow deterioration of liberal democracy that was established in the 1990s. The constitution is not respected, threefold power is undermined, the media is attacked, reproductive rights of women are at risk, marginalized communities are oppressed and immigran
Prześlij komentarz
Czytaj więcej

I miss you Jew!

I MISS YOU JEW! Even the most engaged advocate for reconciliation can never deny the past. There is the presumption that Polish-Jewish relations have to be difficult. But what is the point of having difficult relations with neighbors who have lived by our side for the more than 1000 years? It is the different perceptions of our narratives that continue to polarize Polish society. Thus, in order to further the discussion about Polish-Jewish relations, we must agree that both sides are allowed to have differing perspectives on a common narrative. Polin – the Museum of the History of Polish Jews is the place where narrative was transferred to the Jewish people. The museum represents a powerful retelling or rather reclaiming of the Jewish narrative by Jews themselves. The Jewish perspective is a valid one. The museum paints a holistic picture of Jewish history. It celebrates Jewish contributions to Polish history, showcases the historical development of the Jewish religion, and sho
Prześlij komentarz
Czytaj więcej

When Protest Counts: Poland's Struggle For reproductive Freedom

When Protest Counts: Poland's Struggle For reproductive Freedom The early 90s was a very promising period for changes in Central and Eastern Europe. The “virus of democratic revolution” spread through the countries in the form of the New Forum in the German Democratic Republic, the Civic Forum in Czechoslovakia and the Alliance of Free Democrats in Hungary. Even though a completely new post-communist civic society developed in Poland after Solidarity came to power, some human rights issues have remained unresolved, even today. A special concern should be raised around the status and protection of reproductive rights of women. A discriminatory law on abortion introduced in Poland in 1993 outlines only three circumstances under which women are able to access this procedure legally: when continuation of the pregnancy endangers the woman's life or health, when the fetus is irreparably damaged, or when the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act (rape/incest). In reality, 90%
Prześlij komentarz
Czytaj więcej