[Xmca-l] Re: Thoughts on culture & liberty

[Larry Purss]

Andy,
The notion of culture [as "bildung"] is a concept of learning that has a
history of colonial and Eurocentric prejudices.
However when I read Anna Stetsenko's notion of TAS [Transformative Activist
Stance] or Kris's "third wave" and testimonio or the concept of "ZPD" is it
possible to consider these enactments also participating in cultivating
bildung as cultivating a particular "stance" or "position"?  Cultivating a
particular "approach" or "method"?  Another example is "kobito theory"
which can be considered a particular way of constellating interactions.

Is the fact that the notion of bildung as "cultivation" historically
has been  Eurocentric in its enactments and used in processes of domination
mean the concept of culture as cultivation is bankrupt? Or can this concept
of "bildung" be transformed to re-imagine  striving to cultivate  new forms
of collaboration [through "bildung"]

In other words can the concept of "bildung" be expanded beyond its
Eurocentric prejudices and "constellate" new ways of participating in
collaborative projects which are "hybrid" forms that become actualized and
then nurtured and cultivated?

I recognize a "shadow side" to notions of "bildung" as pre-formed and
static and "dead" [not living forms.  I recognize there always exists a
"gap" between the pre-formed and the emergent form and this gap must be
continually negotiated, however, I still question if notions such as
Stetsenko's TAS are ethically formed "dispositions" that through
cultivation develop as particular ways to "approach" the "gap" in a spirit
of openness and attentiveness to next steps.



On Mon, Feb 9, 2015 at 8:11 PM, Annalisa Aguilar <annalisa@unm.edu> wrote:

> Hi Andy,
>
> I very much enjoyed your use of the metaphor of constellation for culture,
> because there is an arrangement of all that constitutes culture, with
> spaces and distances in between.
>
> I also like the idea of thinking about culture as adjectives and adverbs,
> which you didn't say, but almost did!
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Annalisa
>
>