The Impossible Will Take a While
The essay that I enjoyed reading the most for this week, from the book The impossible Will Take a While, was The Small Work in the Great Work by Victoria Safford. The following quote made me reflect on some questions I have been asking myself lately in regards to how social change happens: “To march was dangerous. It still is. Not to march was dangerous-it still is now, and more so; let there be no question. This is no time for quietism”(225). This makes me think about all the people including myself that passionately talk about social change but yet we are still doing it within the institution. We still hope to make money through the capitalist system and even if it's for a good cause we are still helping to up hold it. We are still in the ivory tower. We are not marching. I hate having to deal with these contradictions constantly. I hate being in the ivory tower. Academia is problematic, contradictory and dangerous. We are constantly trying to negotiate with ourselves and colleagues about why the work we are doing is still deemed as appropriate even though we see how problematic it is. The quote stated previously sees social change as black and white, either you march or you don't. But would the author see the work that is being done within academia as marching even if it is deconstructing some systems of oppression while upholding others? Or would this be the “quietism” that was mentioned at the end of the quote?
wow- fabulous question and I'm really interested to hear what. YOU think the answer is! I think both/and! There are some ways and in some instances when we inside the academy are in the best position to push the boundaries of thinking. in others, we uphold the status quo because we are all swimming around in the cultural goop that shapes our ideologies. Also, there are strategic purposes of quietism that only wisdom can teach when to deploy. it's really complicated. what do you think Sandra?
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