The Effect of School Closure On
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Flesh Mapping: Cartography of Struggle, Renewal and Hope in Education by Sylvia Richardson B.A. (Philosophy), University of Western Ontario, 1998 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Arts Education Program Faculty of Education Sylvia Richardson 2011 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2011 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Sylvia Lorena Richardson Degree: Master of Education Title of Thesis: Flesh Mapping: Cartography of Struggle, Renewal and Hope in Education Examining Committee: Chair: Susie O’Neil, PhD Lynn Fels, PhD Assistant Professor Senior Supervisor Slava Senyshyn, PhD Professor Supervisor Carolyn Mamchur, PhD Professor, Faculty of Education Simon Fraser University External Examiner Date Defended/Approved: August 22, 2011 ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the “Institutional Repository” link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 STATEMENT OF ETHICS APPROVAL The author, whose name appears on the title page of this work, has obtained, for the research described in this work, either: (a) Human research ethics approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics, or (b) Advance approval of the animal care protocol from the University Animal Care Committee of Simon Fraser University; or has conducted the research (c) as a co-investigator, collaborator or research assistant in a research project approved in advance, or (d) as a member of a course approved in advance for minimal risk human research, by the Office of Research Ethics. A copy of the approval letter has been filed at the Theses Office of the University Library at the time of submission of this thesis or project. The original application for approval and letter of approval are filed with the relevant offices. Inquiries may be directed to those authorities. Simon Fraser University Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada Last update: Spring 2010 Abstract Flesh Mapping is a journey to map and make visible the personal impacts of institutional exclusionary practices. And through personal narrative, to investigate the material, emotional and social wounds inflicted, by today’s dominant epistemology of education. An epistemology that rejects the multiple worlds that co-exist and imposes a pedagogical stance that is persistently static, symmetrical and fixed. This thesis maps my struggle to unlearn the mythical story of civilization, in the daily practice of living life aware, awake and participant in the re-naming and remaking of my identity and community. To be educated is to be able to see the world as it is, to unravel our co-created worlds of words, texts, concepts that underpin our actions and to make meaning of our lived experience. In this thesis the wound (and wounded) is at once a site of pain, and renewal. To narratively map the injuries, is to speak, of the material, emotional, and spiritual impact of poverty, displacement, hunger and war on an individual life. Flesh Mapping holds a woman’s desire to make her story known and recognized not solely as an individual’s unique journey, but the one possible story of many that call to attention how we welcome and engage the presence and aspirations of others. Flesh mapping is an attempt to create a Pedagogy of shared narrative, place, and politics to connect our private lives to the affects of political and economic scripts that today constitute our lives around structures of inequity. To write my narrative is to situate myself as a concrete subject, inscribed by a wider cultural and historical continuum, which Said (1983) called “wordly self-situating.” Aware of this historical process the journey is not travelled alone, aware also that our private lives are not only social, they are biased, by our political, cultural, communal, and economic positions, we take the journey, travelled through the writing and sharing of our stories. Keywords: auto-ethnography, social justice, immigration, refugee, and education. iii Dedication To my mother who taught me resilience through love and compassion and that life’s joy lies in the struggle for justice. For my sisters who practice reciprocity and help see the world through the eyes of empathy. iv Acknowledgements The journey is never taken alone. I have many people to thank for their kindness in opening my eyes to new ways of seeing. The giants whose words have inspired and helped me imagine along with others a world with justice: Frantz Fanon, Antonio Gramsci, Hannah Arendt, Paulo Freire, Augusto Boal, Edward Said, Eduardo Galeano, Arundhati Roy, Michael Albert, Robert Jensen, Robin Hanhel… too many to name… I would like to thank my Senior Supervisor Lynn Fels, who read this work with great care and provided gentle pressure and insightful feedback. I am indebted to Dr. Slava Senyshyn, for his guidance and encouragement throughout my studies in the program. To my many academic communities, the journey to write began with the many encounters with students and instructors who helped me grow through our discussions in class, informal meetings and collaborative projects. I have learnt from my many communities, and would like to acknowledge the work of community radios worldwide, and community engaged citizens who strive to create an equitable society every day. Thank you for inviting me into the myriad of possibilities available when we work together. And lastly I would like to thank my life companion and soul mate, Stuart Richardson for loving me as I am, and for seeing me as I strive to be. To my children Nataly and Pavel, who inspire me every day to see the world through eyes of possibilities and wonder. v Table of Contents Approval .......................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iii Dedication ...................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................. viii List of Images ................................................................................................................ viii List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................ viii List of Poems and Stories .............................................................................................. ix Chapter 1. Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 The Straightjacket: Policies of Control ............................................................................. 8 Name the World, Make the World .................................................................................. 11 Renewing Commitment