Allyship and me: a reflection on bell hooks’ Theory as Liberatory Practice
MAIS 601 — Making Sense of Theory in the Humanities and Social Sciences — is the first course in Athabasca University’s online Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies program. The following was written for an assignment after a couple of weeks of course readings and discussion.
The ORID model — breaking notes into objective, reflective, interpretive, and decisional sections — is extremely useful when journaling about course readings. I leaned heavily on this process in response to the bell hooks essay Theory as Liberatory Practice.
Objective
bell hooks outlines her experience using theory to mend and heal; she examines the process, the discussion, and the results of theorizing in order to make sense of situations both in and out of her control. She legitimizes and supports feminist theory; she understands but ultimately rejects arguments raised by men, by white women, by fellow black women, that suggest philosophizing and theorizing are empty exercises. Action is, of course, necessary at times, but hooks encourages the thought experiment as a valid enterprise in and of itself.
Reflective
As I wrote on the discussion board in our week one assignment, “I happen to check off nearly every box on the privilege list, so to be honest I’m not sure how welcome or necessary my voice happens to be.” (Kurylo, 2022) I was challenged by the depth and quality of hooks’ writing, but more so I was spooked by the possibility of being seen as a mansplainer, or a residential school apologist, or any number of similar things upon posting to the discussion board. This nervousness mirrors an issue that has affected my teaching over the past few years as my college Indigenizes our course curricula. I’m all for learning about First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. I’m thrilled that my daughter’s schooling includes Indigenous ways of thinking, and that she won’t go into her thirties utterly ignorant of the atrocities committed by governments and other institutions. However, as a third generation Canadian settler, I feel complete unqualified to present these materials. I wish to be the learner in this situation, not the teacher. Similarly, as a straight white Canadian man, I have great hesitation to proclaim my opinions when faced with hooks’ writing about feminism, civil rights, and gender issues. It’s important to listen, to observe, to support — but people like me have held so much power, and done so much talking, that in any environment where participation was not informing my marks, I would just keep quiet and cheer on those whose voices are more appropriate to the topic.
Interpretive
Like Shahamat Uddin, I find Theory as Liberatory Practice “both unsettling and comforting” (2020). However, we come at the piece from very different places. For him, it was an awakening to the ever-present racism aimed at him that he’d been blissfully unaware of throughout his childhood and teen years. For me, it’s been just one more piece of evidence to say that no matter what struggles or obstacles I’ve faced in my life, I have been extremely lucky. I don’t support the following ideas myself, but I have experienced benefits from many things, both historical and ongoing. White supremacy. Slavery. Male privilege. Colonialism. The list goes on. It’s uncomfortable, but necessary, to highlight the systemic problems that have arisen from these ideologies and practices, but also to identify and discuss the advantages I have lived with these 51 years and counting (Gehl, 2012).
Decisional
Thus far, the hooks essay has inspired at least a dozen conversations with family, friends, and colleagues. I daresay that it will spark at least that many again. Like Uddin, I am looking at conversations and the arenas in which they take place in a different light; rather than simply being aware of who is in the room, and adjusting my speech to suit that audience, I’m also adjusting the way that I listen. As Lynn Gehl suggests, I am pondering and “[accepting] the responsibility of learning and reading more about my role as [an] effective ally” (2012) — this extends beyond study; I’m also seeking out voices that I might not have thought to give attention before this reading. Being supportive is not effective if a person makes the decision just once; I must re-examine my place in my work, my family, and my community; I must reiterate the promise to my students, my colleagues, and my neighbours; and I must mindfully rededicate myself to the practice on a regular basis to make allyship meaningful.
References
Gehl, L. (2012). My ally bill of responsibilities. Lynn Gehl, PhD, Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
hooks, b. (1991). Theory as liberatory practice. Yale Journal of Law and Feminism, 4(1). 1–12.
Kurylo, J. (2022, September 9). Theory? It terrifies me, to be honest [Discussion post]. Athabasca University Moodle.
Uddin, S. (2020, February 5). I’d like to think racism doesn’t exist, on bell hooks. The Tulane Hullabaloo. Retrieved September 27, 2022.