"I suggest that we do not necessarily need to hear and know what is stated in its entirety, that we do not need to 'master' or conquer the narrative as a whole, that we may know in fragments" p. 174
In Essentialism and Experience, hooks critiques Diana Fuss's Essentially Speaking: Feminism, Nature, and Difference. hooks finds the first half of Fuss's argument about essentialism engaging but is dismayed that the second half of the book unironically speaks from the position it's critiquing. Fuss does not realize that she essentializes her experience as a white professor to critique her students and others' pedagogy.
hooks outlines the way that she includes experience as a valid, though occasionally limited way of knowing. By recognizing students' experiences, fewer people feel dismissed, and there is not a competition to use experience to dominate others. Also, by valuing everyone's experience, instead of the default white experience, allows students who have been dominated by the academy's paradigm to feel more comfortable engaging in class. This creates a cycle where students compare their experience to what they learn and attempt to make meaning between the two. Some contributions and explorations are more meaningful than others, but then its on the facilitator to recognize when and if sharing is productive or not.
hooks final point is that scholars cannot dismiss experience out of hand because some standpoints enable us to have deeper experiences than other people. It is a valid way of knowing and interaction with the system that students can benefit from. These experiences provide the student, facilitator, educator, etc. the "passion of experience" (p. 91) that others cannot access to add deeper insight into a subject.
Language: Teaching New Worlds/New Words focuses on how language colors our experience. hooks mainly focuses on language in the context of colonization and explores the ways in which standard English dialect limits our ability to know and understand. hooks advocates for classrooms where students are free to speak whatever language they feel most comfortable in and then the classroom community works toward understanding. English has broken and erased many languages, but the oppressed who learn it are able to mold it. This creates new communities, ways of knowing, and intimacy that is essential for liberation.
Is there a question you'd like to explore with the group? Please feel free to submit questions using this form!