Apologies to those on both lists...
Dear All
I want to thank Peter and Liz and others for raising questions about
institutional responses to harassment on Geogfem and Crit-Geog-Forum.
I was very glad to see that the RGS/IBG are reaffirming its position on
equal opportunities and opposition to all forms of harassment. For my
part, and specifically in relation to the work of the RGS/IBG working party
on equal oportunities, I'd like to add that when we think about tackling
harassment we need to think about a range of forms of activities. Some
harassment is neatly covered by statements which support a positive working
environment for all regardless of gender, ethnicity and so on, or oppose
discrimination on the basis of dis/ability, sexual orientation and the
like. These statement are entirely necessary, and make me feel safer
within my own workplace even though I have not been subjected to
harrassment. However, some harassment, and Gill Valentine's included I
think, is more directly personal. To be sure her harrasser mobilises
homophobic discourses, but she is not part of some mythical mainstream,
homophobic collective which seeks to oppress lesbian geographers. As Gill
makes clear in her article she read the letters as "the work of a critical
geographer appropriating discourses of homophobia in order to force me out
of the discipline for personal motives" (p.316).
So I suppose the point I want to make is that we need policies which deal
with discrimination or harassment based on the differences between us
(gender, sexuality and the like) because this does undoubtedly occur.
However, we also need policies broad enough to encompass harassment
motivated by much more individual or inter-personal feelings. I don't
think that the harassment Gill is facing is the product of a structural
problem within a homophobic discipline. We are talking about one nasty
person, who doesn't like Gill, and is therefore harassing her. Homophobia
is a useful tool, but in this case a tool self-consciously mobilised as I
doubt that the critical geographer harassing Gill sees herself as
homophobic. Thus I think we need policies broad enough to encompass this
form of inter-personal harrassment as well as those more directly caused by
sexist, racist or homophobic attitudes. In other words policies to protect
'us' from each other, as well as 'us' from 'them'.
Sarah
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Dr. Sarah Holloway,
Department of Geography,
Loughborough University,
Loughborough,
Leicestershire, Tel: (01509) 223095
LE11 3TU, Messages: (01509) 222794
United Kingdom. Fax: (01509) 223930
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