T eaching Community A Pedagogy of Hope bell hooks Routledge New York and London Taylor & Francis Group It is imperative that we maintain hope even when the 711 Third Avenue New York, , NY 10017 harshness of reality may suggest the opposite. —Paulo Freire Taylor & Francis Group 2 Park Square Milton Park, Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN x Teaching Community difficult, disturbing or just plain ideas that they disagreed with and wanted to think through. More than any other book I have written, Teaching to Transgress has reached the diverse audi- ences I imagined would be its readers. Bridging the gap between public school teachers and those of us who do most if not all of our teaching at colleges and universities, these essays focused on common issues teachers confront irrespective of the type of classroom we work in. Preface Certainly it was the publication of Teaching to Transgress that created a space where I was dialoguing more and more with teachers and students in public schools, talking with teachers Teaching and Living in Hope training to be teachers, listening to them talk to me about teaching. The incredible success of Teaching to Transgress moti- vated my editor to urge me to write another book on teaching shortly after the publication of this first book. I was adamant that I would not write another book about teaching unless I felt that sense of organic necessity that often drives me to pas- sionate writing. In these past ten years I have spent more time teaching Ten years ago I began writing a collection of essays on teach­ teachers and students about teaching than I have spent in the ing-the end result was Teaching to Transgress: Education as the usual English Department, Feminist Studies, or African- Practice of Freedom. In the early stages of discussing this project American Studies classroom. It was not simply the power of with my beloved white male editor Bill Germano, many ques­ Teaching to Transgress that opened up these new spaces for dia- tions were raised about the possible audience for this book. logue. It was also that as I went out into the public world I Was there really an audience of teachers and students wanting endeavored to bring as a teacher, passion, skill, and absolute to engage the discussions about difference and struggle in the grace to the art of teaching: It was clear to audiences that I classroom that were the core of this text? Would college pro­ practiced what I preached. That union of theory and praxis fessors want to read this work? Were the topics broad enough? was a dynamic example for teachers seeking practical wisdom. I was confident then that there were many educators out there I do not mean to be immodest in openly evaluating the quality who, like myself, wanted to engage in a dialogue about all of my teaching and writing about teaching, my intent is to bear these issues. Once the questions were answered we forged witness so as to challenge the prevailing notion that it is simply ahead with publication. Immediate response from readers let too difficult to make connections—this is not so. Those of us the publishers know that the work was timely, that its conver­ who want to make connections who want to cross boundaries, sational tone made it an easy read, offering readers an oppor­ do. I want all passionate teachers to revel in a job well done to tunity to return to chapters, work with ideas they found new, inspire students training to be teachers. ix Preface xi xii Teaching Community There are certainly moments in the classroom where I do audience. With the academization of feminism, the loss of a not excel in the art of teaching. However, it is crucial that we mass-based political movement, this agenda was difficult to challenge any feeling of shame or embarrassment that teach- achieve in a work setting where writing acceptable theory for ers who do their job well might be tempted to indulge when promotion and tenure often meant using inaccessible lan- praising ourselves or being praised by others for excellent guage and/or academic jargon. Many amazing feminist ideas teaching. For when we hide our light we collude in the overall never reach an audience outside the academic world because cultural devaluation of our teaching vocation. A big basketball the work is simply not accessible. Ironically, this often happens fan, I often tell audiences, “Do you really think Michael Jordan in those fields like sociology and psychology where the subject does not know that he is an incredible ball player? That matter is organically linked with choices people make in every- throughout his career he has been gifted with a level of skill day life. One example concerns feminist work on parenting, and magnificence which sets him apart?” particularly writing on the value of male parenting. Yet much In the past ten years I have spent many hours teaching away of this work is written in arcane academic jargon. Even dense from the normal college classroom. Publishing children’s books, which are not terribly full of jargon, are hard for tired books, I have spent more time than I ever thought I would working people to plough through, selecting the parts that teaching and talking with children, especially children could contain meaningful material. between the ages of three and six. This teaching takes place in As my academic career advanced, my yearning to take my various settings—churches, bookstores, homes where folks intellectual work and find forums where the practical wisdom gather, and in diverse classrooms in public schools and at col- it contained could be shared across class, race, etc., intensified. leges and universities. The most exciting aspect of teaching I have written theory that many people outside the academy outside conventional structures and/or college classrooms has find difficult to read, but what they do understand often com- been sharing the theory we write in academia with non-aca- pels them to work with the difficulties. Concurrently, I have demic audiences and, most importantly, seeing their hunger to completed a body of popular writing that speaks to many dif- learn new ways of knowing, their desire to use this knowledge ferent people at the level of their diverse learning skills. Not in meaningful ways to enrich their daily lives. only do I find this exciting, it affirms that the mass-based goals When I first began writing feminist theory, always talking of feminist politics that many of us hold can be realized. through ideas with other feminist thinkers, one of our primary Indeed, we can do work that can be shared with everyone. And concerns was not to collude with the formation of a new elite this work can serve to expand all our communities of resist- group of women, those college-educated women who would ance so that they are not just composed of college teachers, benefit the most from feminist thinking and practice. We students, or well-educated politicos. believed then and now that the most important measure of the In recent years mass media have told the public that femi- success of feminist movement would be the extent to which the nist movement did not work, that affirmative action was a mis- feminist thinking and practice that was transforming our con- take, that combined with cultural studies all alternative pro- sciousness and our lives would have the same impact on ordi- grams and departments are failing to educate students. To nary folks. With this political hope we made commitments to counter these public narratives it is vital that we challenge all seek to write theory that would speak directly to an inclusive this misinformation. That challenge cannot be simply to call Preface xiii xiv Teaching Community attention to the fact that it is false; we also must give an honest radical and revolutionary. To honor and value these moments and thorough account of the constructive interventions that rightly we must name them even as we continue rigorous cri- have occurred as a consequence of all our efforts to create jus- tique. Both exercises in recognition, naming the problem but tice in education. We must highlight all the positive, life-trans- also fully and deeply articulating what we do that works to forming rewards that have been the outcome of collective address and resolve issues, are needed to generate anew and efforts to change our society, especially education, so that it is inspire a spirit of ongoing resistance. When we only name the not a site for the enactment of domination in any form. problem, when we state complaint without a constructive focus We need mass-based political movements calling citizens of on resolution, we take away hope. In this way critique can this nation to uphold democracy and the rights of everyone to become merely an expression of profound cynicism, which be educated, and to work on behalf of ending domination in then works to sustain dominator culture. all its forms—to work for justice, changing our educational sys- In the last twenty years, educators who have dared to study tem so that schooling is not the site where students are indoc- and learn new ways of thinking and teaching so that the work trinated to support imperialist white-supremacist capitalist we do does not reinforce systems of domination, of imperial- patriarchy or any ideology, but rather where they learn to open ism, racism, sexism or class elitism have created a pedagogy of their minds, to engage in rigorous study and to think critically. hope. Speaking of the necessity to cultivate hope, Brazilian Those of us who have worked both as teachers and students to educator Paulo Freire reminds us: “The struggle for hope transform academia so that the classroom is not a site where means the denunciation, in no uncertain terms of all abuses domination (on the basis of race, class, gender, nationality, sex- .