Dear Yaqub and all,

Thank you for your generous comments about my theoretical
constructions about my practice.  I feel honoured by your interest in
using the material in your seminar discussions with your MA students.
Yes of course you can use it for that purpose Yaqub.  Thanks again.

Mohamed

>---- Original Message ----
>From: [log in to unmask]
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: RE: Starting the Review - Sipping Mint Tea in Convivencia
>Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 12:34:47 +0100
>
>>Dear Mohammed, and All,
>>
>>Just to share my sheer delight in your posting to me and to
>everyone.
>>
>>I have been so deeply impressed by the elegant crafting of your
>>scholarship and your profound capacity to draw on the ideas of
>others and
>>then weave them within your own unique authorship. Respect. May I
>have
>>your permission to share your email with my Action Masters group? 
>Your
>>posting is an exemplary demonstration of your pedagogy as a
>scholarship of
>>writing.  By sharing your email I envisage making a contribution to
>the
>>spread of your influence. And I can simultaneously show your
>influence on
>>my education as a Masters tutor as i point my students to what I see
>as
>>the sheer quality of your writing and ideation, while encouraging my
>>students to point out to me what i don't see in your writing as they
>>explain to one another, and me, what they do see.
>>
>>I have been influenced by the craft and scholarship of many writers
>in my
>>life. But you are one of a handful of educational researchers whose
>>writing has somehow reached into the inside of my being and
>educative
>>project. Jack for his writing in the growth of Educational Knowledge
>>(1993). bell hooks' Teaching to Transgress. Peter MacLaren for the
>grit
>>that gives a Marxist texture to his writing. Moira Laidlaw for the
>way she
>>exquisitely conveys the spirituality of her educational meanings in
>a form
>>of 'living prose'.
>>
>>I'm looking forward to the sheer joy of relaxation when I can engage
>your
>>posting in the 'convivencia' of my response.
>>
>>I'm getting close to being late for my afternoon classes but need to
>add
>>the following.
>>
>>The synchronicity of your email is eerie. I participated in a viva
>of a
>>Master's student I had supervised, yesterday. Konstantina is from
>Sofia in
>>Bulgaria. Her living theory account of her loving practice, with
>>educational implications, is truly remarkable. How Konstantina was
>engaged
>>in a loving space by her external examiner, Mary Hartog (Middlesex
>>University) was remarkable. Mary's facilitation of the viva was an
>>educational practice of love in and of itself. The viva space was
>>iridescent with rigour, bristling with the embodied values of five
>people
>>in heartfelt enquiry. For two hours I was mune to the evidence of my
>>senses. I saw two years of supervision coming alive in this 'viva
>voce'
>>space as Konstantina gave expression to her originality of mind, and
>>critical judgement. It was an evocation of an imagined dream, a
>glimpse of
>>the creativity in social formations that is necessary for resisting
>what
>>Don Macedo calls 'colonial education' -
>>
>>"Far from the democratic education we claim to have , what we really
>have
>>is a sophisticated colonial model of education designed primarily to
>train
>>teachers in ways in which the intellectual dimension of teaching is
>often
>>devalued. The major objective of a colonial education is to further
>de-
>>skill teachers and students to walk unreflectively through a
>labyrinth of
>>procedures and techniques.  It follows, then, that what we have in
>place
>>in the United States is not a system that encourages independent
>thought
>>and critical thinking. On the contrary, our so-called democratic
>schools
>>are based on an instrumental-banking approach that often prevents
>the
>>development of the kind of thinking that enables one to 'read the
>world'
>>critically and to understand the reasons and linkages behind facts."
>>(pages 3/4, Macedo, D. (ed), Chomsky on MisEducation, Lanham: Rowman
>and
>>Littlefield, 2000)
>>
>>Yesterday, in the intimacy of the particular (after Baudrillard)
>five
>>people gave educational expression to the 'post' in postcolonial. By
>>postcolonial I mean a form of pedagogic and educational intention to
>>discover with Konstantina those subtle nuances of how she 'found the
>>truth' for herself.  If as Macedo suggests, education in cultural
>action
>>for domination domesticates consciousness, transforming it into an
>empty
>>vessel, then yesterday was a celebration of our feral consciousness.
>>
>>In the intimacy of shared values a social formation was sustained.
>>Temporary, fleeting, perhaps even ephemeral. Yet, the differentiated
>and
>>polyvocal nature of the 'post' in postcolonialism was present in
>living
>>possibility. It felt unashamedly good. Konstantina was encouraged to
>>converse by the presence of a loving rigour conveyed in Mary's
>questions.
>>I was deeply impressed with the quality of my student's responses to
>her
>>external examiner's questions. Konstantina brought an unmistakable
>frisson
>>of 'viva' through the clarity of her 'voce'. I was deeply impressed
>with
>>Mary's pedagogy of rigour and how she achieved pedagogic influence
>without
>>annihilating the other. 'Sensational' evidence for Mary's living
>>educational standards of judgement as external examiner. Konstantina
>spoke
>>from her well-being and personal safety. Mary was mutually available
>to
>>Konstantina throughout their conversation (after Marcel .
>>
>>I believe we lived, together, a 'pedagogy of the postcolonial
>particular'
>>in this microcosm of a postcolonial educational space. Perhaps we
>>encountered what is needed to sustain postcolonial social formations
>in a
>>wider social context. I hope Konstantina will shed light on this
>when I
>>ask her this afternoon.
>>
>>I agree with you, Mohammed, that the 'I' in Action Research is
>necessary
>>but not sufficient. The compass of your scholarly elaboration of
>>the 'wider context' provides a superb wide-angle lens. I sense we
>mean
>>similar things when we each refer to the phenomenon of the
>sociocultural
>>and Western hegemony, and this feels good.
>>
>>It is great to 'read' your voice in this matter. Like sipping mint
>tea,
>>together, on a bench in the Kasbah, shaded from the glare of the
>afternoon
>>sun....or in a postcolonial cafe for hyphenated lives on Richmond Hi
>ll?
>>
>>Yaqub
>>

Mohamed Moustakim
School of Education
Education & Employment
Room E218
Tel. 020 8240 4380