On Cultivating Reflexivity Relationally

• In Event: The Spaces of Pedagogy: Reticulations of Participation, Engagement, and Action

Abstract

Acknowledging partialness on the part of participants in the classroom has a destabilizing effect on the meanings of terms such as student and teacher: “Reading teacher and student through the unconscious or through historical events that exceed simple binary opposition is one way of resisting the illusion of full and complete understanding of the ‘teacher’-‘student’ relation” (Ellsworth, 1997, p. 141). In particular, if such roles are perceived as gerundive acts of cultural production, then reflecting on their meaning can yield multiple shifting responses that “refuse hierarchy”: “Am I a teacher or a student? Who am I ‘as’ teacher, who are you as student, what do I do as teacher, what do I want from you as student” (Ellsworth, p. 141). Reflexivity undertaken with a perspective of partialness can help unsettle definitions and one’s own positionality (Rose, 1997). Yet, given that most faculty tend to teach classes as individual instructors of record and in somewhat isolated ways, how might a notion of partialness be actively engaged? How can it inform reflexive practice?
According to Rose (1997), a perspective of relationality, which foregrounds the importance of relationships by situating people as interdependent, illumines partiality. If identity is considered “mutually constitutive,” then knowledges can only be partial. A cultural notion of intrinsic, constitutive relations is reflected in a concept of intimacy, typified by a relationship between salt and water (Kasulis, 2002). Self and other exist in ways that do not have a sharp distinction and so a relationship can be considered objective and personal at the same time. A relationship is shared, existing as part of each participant, rather than externally to each. As such, relationships have an “affective” and “empathetic dimension” because they are embodied and psychological (Kasulis, p. 31). From this perspective, relationships and interactions not only influence but continually constitute selves.
This essay considers how a relational perspective amplifies a notion of reflexivity. Reflexivity, if undertaken collaboratively, rather than perceived as independent acts of cognition or private reconciliation, can have an extensive impact. In other words, if people are part of unique networks of specific relationships, then critical reflexive interactions that constitute participants not only influence them personally but their interactions with others as well. Administrators and teachers, Ellsworth (2013/1989) asserts, must consider how cultural injustices and the deployment of knowledge and power influence schooling contexts. Given the complexity of such endeavors, attending to the development of spaces where such work can happen is important. A relational perspective calls attention to the value of cultivating collegial relationships and faculty affinity groups as part of formal teaching and learning constructs. Critical reflexivity undertaken collaboratively not only unsettles perceived roles and positionalities, but can have a radiating impact on interactions with colleagues and students, too.

Author

• Mary Chang, University of Hawaii - Manoa