[Xmca-l] Re: The Highlander Center in Tennessee
Ed Wall
ewall@umich.edu
Mon Sep 1 20:36:46 PDT 2014
I didn't realize the Highlander School was in Grundy county near Monteagle. I attended high school on 'Monteagle Mountain' about 10 miles from Monteagle; graduated in '60. Never heard anything about Highlander School , but people on the mountain tended to keep to themselves for a variety of reasons. The University of the South is about 20 miles from Monteagle and about 40 miles or so the other way is a large military installation staffed in the '50s or so by aeronautical types the US grabbed from Germany after World War II. All this makes the Warren, Grundy, and Franklin County area somewhat unique and Monteagle was, at that time, somewhat isolated because the main road up the mountain winds a lot (there is an interstate now that, although straight, isn't much better). Given that Highland School was near Monteagle the later move to Knoxville makes a kind of sense.
Ed Wall
On Sep 1, 2014, at 7:44 PM, Andy Blunden wrote:
> Actually, Horton says that after a long time searching and travelling and studying looking for a method or a way to do education for social change, he eventually realised what he had to do - "The thing to do was just find a place, move in and start and let it grow." He was lucky to catch the eye of an elderly woman farmer who gave him a farmhouse in Grundy County, Tennessee, so that was his beginning and the next 30 years.
>
> Andy
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *Andy Blunden*
> http://home.pacific.net.au/~andy/
>
>
> Huw Lloyd wrote:
>> Thanks for bringing the Highlander Center topic up, Andy.
>>
>> In addition to thinking about Peg's comment, one of things that struck me
>> was the accord with Lefebvre's ideas in the production of space, i.e. new
>> social relations calling for a new space.
>>
>> Best,
>> Huw
>>
>>
>> On 31 August 2014 15:58, mike cole <lchcmike@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Good luck, all.
>>> Mike
>>>
>>> On Saturday, August 30, 2014, Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Helena Worthen and Greg Thompson have responded off-line, in addition to
>>>> Robert Lake and you who proposed it, Mike. And Helena wants to involve
>>>> someone on the Highlander faculty. When does a collaborative review
>>>>
>>> article
>>>
>>>> become a broth with too many cooks? Pretty soon I think.
>>>> I will send a message to this group off-line to see if we can get a plan.
>>>>
>>>> Andy
>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> *Andy Blunden*
>>>> http://home.pacific.net.au/~andy/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> mike cole wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I have heard no news of deadlines about an article of the sort I thought
>>>>> Andy was suggesting. And it appears that at least Andy and Robert are
>>>>> interested, and perhaps Henry? And?
>>>>>
>>>>> No centralized organization seems appropriate here. Those interested can
>>>>> recognize themselves from the discussion and let the editors what
>>>>>
>>> emerges.
>>>
>>>>> The theme(s) is/are clearly generative of interest.
>>>>> mike
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sat, Aug 30, 2014 at 2:27 PM, Henry G. Shonerd III <
>>>>>
>>> hshonerd@gmail.com
>>>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi Robert and Andy,
>>>>>> Taking a biographical perspective on a smaller scale, it's interesting
>>>>>> that an Australian Vygotskian/Hegellian/dialectic scholar would find so
>>>>>> interesting the civil rights work of a courageous Black woman, that a
>>>>>> white
>>>>>> professor who gets impetus for writing while in movement (as he
>>>>>>
>>> explains
>>>
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> his letter to Vera) would have a thorough knowledge of her work, and
>>>>>> that a
>>>>>> Black scholar (Lisa Delpit), should be associated with the "dark side"
>>>>>>
>>> in
>>>
>>>>>> literacy for minorities. How pun-ishingly ironic, maybe at the heart of
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> dialectic? Does it make sense to see such "entanglements" as consonant
>>>>>> with
>>>>>> a fractal model of history and culture, fractal formations at any scale
>>>>>> being "self similar" and complex. Surely dialect thinking and fractal
>>>>>> thinking are blendable, just as science and art are blendable. I am
>>>>>> thinking about Fauconnier and Turner (on blending), Cantor (on
>>>>>>
>>> fractals)
>>>
>>>>>> and articles by Andy on metaphor and narrative, romantic science and
>>>>>>
>>> the
>>>
>>>>>> interaction of conceptual and pre-conceptual thinking. One more
>>>>>>
>>> personal
>>>
>>>>>> anecdote ties in. Two weekends ago my wife and I had lunch with Vera
>>>>>>
>>> and
>>>
>>>>>> Ruben in Santa Fe. She talked about the creative "leap". In her 1985
>>>>>> Notebooks of the Mind, Vera talks about "the joining of rapid bursts of
>>>>>> thought with a regime of disciplined work". And finally, Anna Stetsenko
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> the the letters to Vera (Constructing a Community of Thought), argues
>>>>>> that
>>>>>> "Creativity…is an ineluctable feature of all and every person in their
>>>>>> even
>>>>>> utmost mundane activities and pursuits of everyday life." Vera and
>>>>>> Vygotsky
>>>>>> bring us creativity at all scales. Typically, "going to scale" means
>>>>>> growth. Cancer is a growth. Destructive. Creativity is generative,
>>>>>> nurturing. In all of this I find hope, which was got me into the xmca
>>>>>> dialog in the first place.
>>>>>> Henry
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Aug 29, 2014, at 7:43 AM, Robert Lake <boblake@georgiasouthern.edu>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi
>>>>>>> Andy,
>>>>>>> I am so glad you are intrigued by Septima's role in the formation of
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> SNCC .
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> She was often overlooked in the chauvinist culture of the times (both
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> white
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> and black) and that is why began researching her life. Most people see
>>>>>>> recognize Rosa Parks and Ella Baker's role and later those who were
>>>>>>> credited for the "Freedom School curriculum
>>>>>>> ". If you look at Clark's life and the manner and content of what she
>>>>>>> taught on John's Island and other parts of South Carolina,
>>>>>>> you can easily recognize that her work was seminal in the formation
>>>>>>>
>>> of
>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> the
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Freedom School Curriculum.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I have tried to get permission to reprint Septima's autobiography from
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> her
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> family, but I have been unsuccessful. The book by Cynthia Brown
>>>>>>>
>>> *Ready
>>>
>>>>>>> from Within *has a lot of primary source interviews. Catherine Mellon
>>>>>>> Charon's book, *Septima Clark: Freedom's Teacher *is richly detailed
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> with
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> many interviews of her friends and documents from primary sources
>>>>>>>
>>> from
>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> the
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> University of Wisconsin Highlander collection.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Here is a link to a recorded interview with Septima that may be useful
>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> you. I enjoyed hearing her voice at least.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/G-0017/menu.html
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> *Robert*
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Aug 29, 2014 5:05 AM, "Andy Blunden" <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So you are placing Septima Clark right up there in importance,
>>>>>>>>
>>> Robert.
>>>
>>>>>>>> I am part way through a "chronicle" of Highlander, called
>>>>>>>>
>>> "Highlander.
>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> No
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ordinary school, 1932-1962". It is very useful for me, so I can get
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> everything in sequence. So here I discovered that Septima Clark was
>>>>>>>>
>>> in
>>>
>>>>>>>> charge of the discussions with the students who later joined SNCC. So
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> she
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> is coming into focus for me. I have just ordered two books on her,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> including the one you recommended. Unfortuantely, an autobiography
>>>>>>>>
>>> she
>>>
>>>>>>>> wrote in 1962 seems to be out of print and entirely unavailable now.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Andy
>>>>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>>> ------------
>>>>>>>> *Andy Blunden*
>>>>>>>> http://home.pacific.net.au/~andy/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Robert Lake wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Hi Andy,
>>>>>>>>> Yes I do. Start with this .
>>>>>>>>> http://highlandercenter.org/about-us/history/
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> And this biography of Myles Horton
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> http://www.amazon.com/The-Long-Haul-An-Autobiography/dp/0807737003
>>>>>>>>> and the biography of Septima Clark.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> http://www.amazon.com/Freedoms-Teacher-Life-Septima-
>>>>>>>>> Clark/dp/0807872229/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=
>>>>>>>>> 1408889271&sr=1-2&keywords=septima+clark <http://www.amazon.com/
>>>>>>>>> Freedoms-Teacher-Life-Septima-Clark/dp/0807872229/ref=sr_1_
>>>>>>>>> 2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408889271&sr=1-2&keywords=septima+clark>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I have written a piece on her as well and will send it this
>>>>>>>>>
>>> afternoon.
>>>
>>>>>>>>> I think the book We Make the Road by Walking: A dialogue between
>>>>>>>>>
>>> Myles
>>>
>>>>>>>>> Horton and Paulo Freire
>>>>>>>>> is one of the best books on both these leaders.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> More Later,
>>>>>>>>> Robert Lake
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I will send more this afternoon.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On Sun, Aug 24, 2014 at 9:31 AM, Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> <mailto:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ablunden@mira.net>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Does anyone on this list know about the Highlander Center, what
>>>>>>>>> used to be called the Highlander Folk School?
>>>>>>>>> The people there are very helpful, but they're also rushed off
>>>>>>>>> their feet (like everyone, I guess) and if there were any other
>>>>>>>>> sources of information about it, that would be helpful. I'm
>>>>>>>>> particularly interested if anyone is familiar with what they were
>>>>>>>>> doing in the 1950s and 60s.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Andy
>>>>>>>>> -- ------------------------------
>>>>>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>>>>> ------------
>>>>>>>>> *Andy Blunden*
>>>>>>>>> http://home.pacific.net.au/~andy/
>>>>>>>>> <http://home.pacific.net.au/%7Eandy/>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>> *Robert Lake Ed.D.
>>>>>>>>> *Associate Professor
>>>>>>>>> Social Foundations of Education
>>>>>>>>> Dept. of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
>>>>>>>>> Georgia Southern University
>>>>>>>>> Secretary/Treasurer-AERA- Paulo Freire Special Interest Group
>>>>>>>>> P. O. Box 8144
>>>>>>>>> Phone: (912) 478-0355
>>>>>>>>> Fax: (912) 478-5382
>>>>>>>>> Statesboro, GA 30460
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>
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