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Thinkacting Through Liberatory Frames: (Re)Imagining the Academy Beyond by Michela Marie Pirruccio

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Thinkacting Through Liberatory Frames: (Re)Imagining the Academy Beyond by Michela Marie Pirruccio Thinkacting through liberatory frames: (re)imagining the academy beyond by Michela Marie Pirruccio A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Health Science in Recreation and Leisure Studies Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2021 ©Michela Marie Pirruccio 2021 Author’s Declaration I herby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revision, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract After being burnt down by the liberal politics of the university, I call for a (re)imagining of its structure that can offer hope for those seeking a home in academia. This thesis asks the question, “how can we thinkact differently?” by engaging with a plurality of frames that offer grass-roots possibilities for the students, researchers, staff, and faulty members whose identities and politic are often targeted by the reproduction of status quo. I suggest a reaching out unto anarchist, abolitionist, and Indigenous liberatory frames as means of moving beyond the traditions of the neo liberal university, towards emotional, just, and actionable futurities. iii Acknowledgements I acknowledge that the work of this thesis is largely credited to the continuum of hearts that joined me in my ongoing process to becoming. Lisbeth, you are a shinning star. Thank you for housing me in your constellation with love for the last two years—you are a human I could not imagine doing this without. Not only have you built me up as a scholar, but also as a human being—thank you for shinning so brightly in my life. It was an honour to learn from and with you. Kim, I want to thank you for being a part of this process—especially while on parental leave. Your feedback is always so insightful and meaningful to me, thank you is not enough to express my gratitude for you, and yet I hope it signals the true value of my appreciation. Johnny Lupinacci, I am grateful to be apart of your network of mutual aid. Thank you for sharing your energy and enthusiasm for life with me. Tiny home lovers need to stick together. Bryan, I appreciate your role in being a reader on my committee. While I am saddened that I was unable to take a course with you throughout my master’s degree, I am grateful to have this opportunity to learn from you at this time. I also wanted to point out to you that I still feel a bit like a radish. To my partner who has rescheduled many camping trips, vacations, dinners, and movie nights to accommodate my ever changing emotions as I write—thank you. I could not have made it this far without your mugs of encouragement, latte runs, and most importantly, your comforting support. I have endless love in my heart for you. To my mom—or as I like to call her, little Rosa—thank you for encouraging me to reach for the stars even when I didn’t think I would make it. Your love and support has taken me far. To my sister, thank you for unloading the dishwasher when I needed a break and patiently waiting for me to be available for our sisters-days-out. I know how much you have sacrificed for me, and I will forever be indebted to you. My soon-to-be brother-in-law, Chesky, thank you for laughing through the funny days with me. To my friends Crystal and Kelsey—two of the most intelligent, wonderous humans I know—thank you for listening to my never-ending tangents and reminding me of my why. Who says you can’t maintain friendships in grad school (in a pandemic)? To the University of Waterloo, specifically the faculty, students and staff in the department of Recreation and Lesiure Studies, thank you for showing me constant compassion and allowing me to push the boundaries of masters-level research. iv Dedication To my late father, Papa G, this one is for you. v Authors Declaration .................................................................................................... ii Abstract ......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................ iv Dedication .................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ............................................................................................................ viii Chapter One ................................................................................................................ 1 Unexplained Beginnings ................................................................................. 1 2020, Explained ............................................................................................... 3 Responding to 2020 in Leisure Studies ......................................................... 5 Imagining Beyond 2020 ..................................................................... 6 Exploring Anarcho ........................................................................................ 6 Destruction, chaos, and disorder ...................................................... 9 Liberalism ...................................................................................................... 12 Responding to the Charge with Anarcho—pedagogies ............................. 13 Freedom .............................................................................................. 17 Equity ................................................................................................. 18 Solidarity ............................................................................................ 19 Love ..................................................................................................... 20 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 22 Books, Journals, Media-Sources, Thinkers & Articles ................................ 27 Preface ........................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter Two ................................................................................................................ 30 Sweaty Concepts ............................................................................................. 35 Letting go of Tradition(s) .............................................................................. 37 Imagining Utopias ............................................................................. 38 Building Concrete Utopias ................................................................ 40 Refusal as Love .............................................................................................. 41 vi Holding onto hope ................................................................................................. 44 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 46 Chapter Three .................................................................................................................. 48 Returning Home to the Academy. ...................................................................... 48 Putting theory to Work....................................................................................... 50 Abolition May… ....................................................................................... 51 Student-led Mutual Aid ............................................................................ 53 The Process of Finding Home ............................................................................. 55 Creating a Location for Healing with Johnny Lupinacci .................................. 59 So, What? ............................................................................................................... 62 Postface ................................................................................................................................ 68 References .......................................................................................................................... 72 vii List of Figures Figure 1: Methodology Explained ........................................................................................... 26 viii Chapter One Unexplained Beginnings. The space I occupy in this world is one where my whiteness, queerness, and cisgenderism define the possibilities of my existence. Each of these labels imply their own discourse that defines who I am, what I am capable of achieving, and how I might be perceived within current world makings. These liberal identity formations create a dichotomy that both divides and excludes populations based on the norms of euro-us centric culture. Unfortunately, this produces a culture where othering is normalized and permissible. As I reflect on experiences of my own identity formations, I can critique the narratives I was fed through childhood education, particularly with regards to folx categorized as Black, Indigenous, queer, or other people of colour1. These narratives often prioritize whiteness as the apex of civilized existence where we are taught to draw a line between those who are white, and everyone else. For example, Black friends in elementary school were taught to always appear presentable to avoid disorder; fundraisers were held to support child poverty in Asia as to suggest Canada was
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