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Royster and Kirsch throughout the text remind readers of the role the body plays in research, teaching, analysis, and writing. Kirsch notes regarding the power of embodiment, place, and paying attention, "the invitation to attend to inward and outward journeys as well as lived experience often leads students to passionate, thoughtful, and powerful research and writing" (96).
Strategic Contemplation exercise
As an exercise in embodiment, we asked our classmates to shift their bodies and perspectives as they discussed the text in small groups. We suggested that they find a new location (next to the river, WRAC library, the top of the parking ramp, be creative, etc), and in that place, talk among their group about the questions presented on the card given to them. We encouraged them to even take a moment to not talk and instead listen to the place and surroundings they were in at that moment and how those surroundings impacted their thoughts as they answered the questions. Then we had them write on the cards some of the ideas they may have talked about or considered, noting not only the answers to the questions, but also where the conversation or silences meandered or ended.
This was our discussion prompt:
For the discussion today, we wanted to move our bodies from the spaces and positions we typically occupy. We’re hoping to have us identify the challenges, risks, silences, norms, _____ the things we experience and how this methodology helps us address them in our work.
We gave each group one of these questions written on a card to contemplate as they went to a new space:
Below are what they brought back to class with them:
This was our discussion prompt:
For the discussion today, we wanted to move our bodies from the spaces and positions we typically occupy. We’re hoping to have us identify the challenges, risks, silences, norms, _____ the things we experience and how this methodology helps us address them in our work.
We gave each group one of these questions written on a card to contemplate as they went to a new space:
- How do feminist rhetorical practices impact our data and work? What are the impacts when we ignore it? What are the impacts when we listen?
- How do feminist rhetorical practices relate to Mignolo and subjectivity/objectivity, and to Spivak in her discussion around "speaking" and silences?
- What role does the opening chapters of the book play in situating them in the text? Do you think it enacts a feminist methodology? Why or why not?
- Tie into pedagogy: how do we give space to our students to think through these concerns?
- How do place-based methodologies intersect with feminist methodologies?
Below are what they brought back to class with them: