[Xmca-l] Re: What is a Pedagogy of the Oppressors?

[larry smolucha]

Message from Francine:

What I am saying is that each individual does have to make his/her
own choices. Surrendering self-responsibility to the will of the group
is what creates dangerous oppressive 'group think' and mob violence.

Yes, we individually must make our own choices - but that does not exclude
choosing to be part of a group decision making process. 

This is not just an ideological position, it is the neurological function
of the prefrontal cortex . The prefrontal cortex does have to go through a process
of neurological development during child development in order
to exercise its function of consciously directing behavior, emotions, and thinking.
This is Luria's pioneering research that now documents the neurological development
accompanying  the development of higher mental functions (Vygotsky).

Everyone has their own prefrontal cortex - it is either functioning or it is not.
Brain imaging technology is already documenting the absence of precortical activity
accompanying disorders such as schizophrenia and ADDH. From infancy through childhood
through adolescence, brain imagining technology documents increases in prefrontal activity.
The impulsiveness of adolescents is attributed to the prefrontal not be fully developed yet.

Alcohol and drugs such as depressants, marijuana and khat inhibit prefrontal
cortical functioning thus loosening inhibitions and producing a stupor. The impaired decision
making process associated with these drugs also makes people more suggestable.




> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2015 09:16:36 -1000
> From: lpscholar2@gmail.com
> To: xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu
> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: What is a Pedagogy of the Oppressors?
> 
> Francine,
> If we start a new thread could we put our deeply embedded brief and faith
> in hyper individualism, which may run through all your examples. The notion
> that we each individually must make our own choices. I am suggesting third
> spaces as an example of honouring our reality as subjective persons, but
> WITHIN intersubjective contexts
> 
> 
> On Mon, Jan 5, 2015 at 8:17 AM, larry smolucha <lsmolucha@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > Message from Francine:
> >
> >  Peter's comment "that surely there's more to world society than the
> > binary of
> > oppressed and oppressors, usually presented as mutually exclusive
> > categories"
> > warrants being be a header for a new thread.
> >
> > There is a binary list of oppressors emerging from XMCA e-mails (that
> > ought to make
> > us stop and think):
> >
> > (1) the police as a systemic oppressor of black males versus black males
> > who are
> > the oppressed
> >
> > (2) graduates of elite universities versus  those who are not admitted to,
> > and thus do not graduate, from elite universities [with the exception of
> > police officers
> > who become oppressors through the policing system?]
> >
> > This amounts to stigmatizing certain segments of the population and making
> > them the scapegoats  for any problems that the 'other' has. The
> > alternative is to
> > ask (Annalisa says we start by asking insightful questions):
> >
> > (1) Are their systemic elements in policing that lead to abuse of power
> > and need
> > to be addressed in police training? Zimbardo's Stanford Prison study is a
> > good starting
> > point.
> >
> > (2) Are there dysfunctional and criminalizing elements in society that
> > lead some
> >  black males to choose violence? How can these dysfunctional and
> > criminalizing
> > elements be addressed? Fatherless boys prone to gang recruitment, lack of
> > jobs, etc.
> >
> > (3) Is there something systemic in elite institutions that makes graduates
> > insensitive
> > to the other and exploitive of others? Should they be required to do
> > service learning
> > while students and continue community service through the alumni
> > associations?
> >
> > (4) Among all those who do not attend elite institutions, are there
> > choices that they
> > made that have put them in a position of extreme vulnerability to
> > exploitation?
> > There are so many different categories of people here.  Some find other
> > ways to gain
> > power in society such as sport superstars, superstar entertainers,
> > entrepreneurs, or
> > create a niche that they can function in and maintain some self-efficacy.
> >
> >
> > Just asking questions . . . .
> >
> >
> >
> > > Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2015 07:50:36 -0800
> > > From: lpscholar2@gmail.com
> > > To: xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu
> > > Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: What is a Pedagogy of the Oppressors?
> > >
> > > Returning to Raymond Williams and his notion of "structures of feeling"
> > > that are factual and shared *sense* that is felt.  The comments from Greg
> > > and others are asking if they are *unknowingly* participating in
> > pedagogies
> > > of oppressor(s) I read as an ethical question, in the spirit of Levinas.
> > > His exploration asking
> > > "am I *over* others, or am I *equal* to others* or must I *answer the
> > face
> > > of the other* who will not release me from my obligation to the other.
> > >
> > > Why is Levinas read today when his writings were unread for many years.
> > Is
> > > it because we are *involved* in a *structure of feeling* that we sense as
> > > ambivalence.
> > >
> > > The terms *oppressors* is indicating a possible *felt* structure that is
> > a
> > > social phenomena experienced by some in positions of power and that
> > feeling
> > > *calls* them to action prior to clear articulation of why in language.
> > >
> > > On Mon, Jan 5, 2015 at 3:16 AM, Peter Smagorinsky <smago@uga.edu> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Surely there's more to world society than the binary of oppressed and
> > > > oppressors, usually presented as mutually exclusive categories?
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:
> > > > xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of FRANCIS J. SULLIVAN
> > > > Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2015 8:16 PM
> > > > To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> > > > Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: What is a Pedagogy of the Oppressors?
> > > >
> > > > Wow, this is a great thread, one I think about all the time, as one of
> > the
> > > > oppressors. Not by choice, as I see this as a structural, or rather a
> > > > "positional" category, akin to the workings of power in terms of one's
> > > > relationship to the means of production. I can still recall Horkheimer
> > and
> > > > Adorno's anecdote in *Dialectic of Enlightenment*, one the ways that
> > the
> > > > songs of the Sirens went unheard by Odysseus' crew--as he had stoppered
> > > > their ears--yet remained useless to Odysseus as he was lashed to the
> > mast.
> > > > So, I certainly agree that we need a pedagogy of the oppressors as a
> > > > complement to that of the oppressed. I always thought that was the
> > major
> > > > effort of the Frankfurt School.
> > > > As someone who teaches secondary school pre-service teachers, I am
> > quite
> > > > aware of my structural position as an "officer of the State." I was in
> > the
> > > > middle of revising my syllabi for the upcoming semester when I saw this
> > > > thread emerge. The advent of the corporate reform of schooling called
> > > > Common Core poses a fundamental threat to the democratic roots of
> > education
> > > > in the US, yet I can neither ignore it nor simply trash it. The
> > students I
> > > > prepare must be able to address the Core if they are to have a career
> > at
> > > > all. So, for better or worse, I find the best resistance to be the
> > tightest
> > > > embrace of the "principles" embedded in the Core, an embrace that, I
> > hope,
> > > > lets me transform them into a useful and useable critique of the Core
> > > > itself. So, this semester, we examine "speaking" and "writing"
> > standards in
> > > > terms of dialect, code, and register differences. We develop lessons
> > and
> > > > units in which high school students grapple with the reality of
> > > > "code-switching," and the choices one can make to successfully navigate
> > > > speech and writing situations defined by conflicting purposes and
> > > > relational hierarchies.
> > > >
> > > > Of course, all this is news to my students, almost all of whom are
> > white
> > > > and middle-class, and most of whom are male. So, I approach these
> > topics by
> > > > emphasizing that learners develop best when teaching meets them where
> > they
> > > > are and builds on what they know. I choose texts that de-emphasize the
> > > > kinds of oppression that plays out in the lives of urban students. So,
> > > > where does someone like me fit in this mosaic? Are we "leading the
> > > > resistance from behind; or allowing ourselves to be co-opted?" My
> > answer to
> > > > that changes at least weekly, sometimes daily. I can only say that I'm
> > > > doing what I can.
> > > >
> > > > Francis J. Sullivan, Ph.D.
> > > > Associate Professor
> > > > Department of Teaching and Learning
> > > > College of Education
> > > > Temple University
> > > > Philadelphia, PA 19122
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Find out what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact
> > > > measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.
> > > >
> > > >  Frederick Douglass
> > > >
> > > > On Sun, Jan 4, 2015 at 3:46 PM, Annalisa Aguilar <annalisa@unm.edu>
> > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Hi,
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > I am peeling off from the old thread to begin a new thread!
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Our inquiry hear appears to be: What is a Pedagogy of the Oppressors?
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > I suggest "a" and not "the" because there could be more than one,
> > surely?
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > For new arrivers to this thread, it commenced from this thread here:
> > > > >
> > > > > http://xmca.ucsd.edu/yarns/15848
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > With its genesis here, thanks to Greg!
> > > > >
> > > > > http://xmca.ucsd.edu/yarns/15848?keywords=#52332?
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Kind regards,
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Annalisa
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> >
> >