Hi Naveen,
Thank you for your message. Your position is one that I feel many on the list can see and many empathise with you, at least in part.
It needs, however perhaps a different word and direction than 'privilege'? Although often misused, the history of the meaning of the term privilege is a private law that renders one immune from laws that apply more generally. Even the sociological meaning has a concreteness about it of having special access to a specific advantage (e.g. housing, loans, education).
What you seem to be saying is that some groups on this list derive benefit in the discourse from their background or current status. That is a different thing. Also as a clarification, I think you are referring to the benefits of working in universities, rather than being academic. There are many on this list who work at developing better theories and practices in design and design research who do not work in universities or academia.
I can commiserate with you that discussion on the phd-design list is often robust and sometimes becomes too harsh and sometimes inappropriately personal.
This I can say with experience of someone who has many times raised issues that have contradicted preferred positions, and received many personal on and off-list attacks, some of which have hurt. (I may even hold the record for this on the list!)
Generally, however, I've found that in the end people on phd-design are intrinsically good and trying to do the right thing. In that sense the problematic discussions can act as a learning environment for all of us.
My experience is this list is safe. It is a special kind of 'safe' - a support and critique from people often working on the edge of their thinking, feeling and intuition in a difficult area. I suggest most on the phd-design list are aware that we all make mistakes and can do so quite publicly on the list without much consequence (regardless of one's status or background) other than people pointing them out.
To give my own background, I'm writing this as a white, male from the slums of the industrial north of England and now from an ex-colony of the UK and a current colony of the US, who doesn't work in universities.
Warm regards,
Terry
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Naveen Bagalkot
Sent: Tuesday, 5 July 2016 3:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: On privilege and a bit on how to start seeing our own privilege
I have been a ‘silent’ member of this email list since some years now, except for sharing some job or workshop announcements. And may a debates and discussions have gone by and I have remained silent.
But not anymore.
This list has been a source of a lot of information for me, and as a young researcher attempting to navigate the waters of design research it has been a great resource.
But not anymore.
And I see that the problem lies in the fact that most of us do not understand what is privilege, or even if we do we are unwilling to see our own privileges. Which to me is not only surprising because as design academics and researchers we are supposed to be driven by ‘empathy’ but also scary that we miss the most fundamental aspect shaping not only ours, but also our students’ lives and experiences!
Here is my attempt to unpack privilege a bit, with the hope that those who are blind to their own privilege open up to the possibility that it exists, and that this blindness and unwillingness to see it is harming this space.
I will be mostly drawing specific examples from Prof. João Ferreira’s statements, but this is not personal. As in this is not an attempt to merely point at that person (I think he has been called out here and on other platforms), but to use his statements as examples to highlight his privileged position and how it harms this space.
But before I get to the concrete statements, let me bring in other statements to highlight that the unwillingness to see privilege is structural, and hence more than any one person, the moderators and the general so-called liberal expectations of a ‘civilized exchange between multiple truths’ that are detrimental to this space.
Let me begin with this statement that Prof. Ken Friedman made in response to Layal and Luiza.
*I want to say to Layal that this list *is* a safe place in which to engage in a discussion on these issues. No one has the right to prevent you from speaking your mind. People do have the right to take a contrary view or to criticise your position — but no one on this list is going to adversely influence your future or your opportunities because you state a view.*
And here is the problem. Just because you or any other person says or thinks that the list is “safe” because these are merely words and seemingly civilized exchanges, does not make this space safe. Because your position assumes that people here are all equally empowered. They are simply not. As the scheme of things work in this world, a white, male senior professor in a western university is more privileged than a black or brown, younger researcher in other parts of the world. More privileged if the other person is a female as compared to male.
By privileged I mean that they have more likely chances to be heard and taken seriously, without interruptions and condescending attempts to shut down. In other words, the social and cultural structures around us give some of us more voice and agency than others, usually based on our race, gender, caste, and other such human markers and identities.
Consider a white, male, and seemingly senior professor says these words, *I assume that the context of the workshop is western democratic countries; if so, it is granted (hopefully) that we all (well, maybe not Donald Trump) strive for a just society, a laudable principle that in our social-democratic states evolved to a political system based on the ideas of separation of powers (legislative, executive, and judiciary) upholding of individual freedom(s), egalitarianism, and so on.* As a brown, Indian, male researcher, this prof is telling me that my culture and my country do not strive for a just society, but only the western democratic countries do. So, western democratic countries do not need social justice, but the so called under-developed countries do. Isn't this an imposition of his thoughts on mine? On this email list, is he not stating this as a white, male, senior professor of design?
And if I respond, as Luiza did, I will get more justification of such statements, not only by the person who said it, but also by others who feel that he is merely expressing his opinion and I have the right to disagree with it. Consider this response by Prof. João Ferreira *Hold it right there, Luiza. Are you under the delusion that I live in Saudi Arabia? Or Iran? If not, can you explain in what way is Europe a
patriarchy?*
I, as a brown, Indian researcher just about figuring out my space in this world, is made to be felt ashamed of my country by such statements. Not only that such sentences by white, male, seemingly senior professor make me feel insecure of my own culture, they also impose on me a world-view that the western / European culture (a monolith?) is superior to mine. This is not only false, but also hurtful, and silencing. In my shame, I am compelled to shut-up. It is not just opinion, is it? This is knowingly or unknowingly an attempt to silence. We need to see it as such.
You could argue that these statements were taken out of context. My response is simply that they are not. As a reader of this mailing list, I see them in my inbox daily. I read them. That is the context. These statements will be deemed silencing, if not oppressive, even when the setting is a private exchange, but on a public forum, with a heterogeneous mix of readers, they are highly excluding and oppressive.
And hence I am grateful to all those who stood up to such blatant attempts at silencing both by such explicit statements and by the attempts to justify and defend or rather wave these off as mere opinions and one version of the truth. I hope to see more such voices.
Seeing ones own privileges is not really that hard. I know that as an upper caste male, educated in a PhD from a western university is much privileged here in India even while compared to similarly highly educated female colleague. Because in general, the world around me, and not only in India but also in the so-called democratic western world, an educated, dispassionate male voice usually laced with sarcasm carries more weight among peers than an educated, but passionate female voice.
I too was blind to my privileges till I started acknowledging it. I started seeing who is the other person I am talking to and where do they and their voice stand, structurally – socially, culturally in the given settings of our exchange. In most cases my voice seem to carry more weight than theirs.
So I made it and I continue to make it point to listen more to what they are saying. Even a slight hint that they feel unsafe talking or expressing in front of me, I apologize and try to learn how to engage better. I do not feel offended and attempt to defend myself thereby furthering my position of power over them.
I will end this longish rant by drawing on, ironically, Prof. João Ferreira’s words.
*This is a real problem indeed. I don’t know enough about it to have an educated opinion on the matter, since it is extremely complex.*
If only we all had the same approach to whenever we come across terms, concepts, and phenomenon, and we took care to understand who is saying them, and why, then this list and actually the world too will be a better place for all.
Best,
Naveen
--
Naveen L Bagalkot, Ph.D.
Researcher & Faculty Member
Srishti Institute of Art, Design, and Technology.
Bangalore
http://srishti.ac.in/ <http://labs.srishti.ac.in>
"This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have erroneously received this message, please delete it immediately and notify the sender. Thank you."
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