Becoming/Haecceity & Black Feminism (Poster 2)

• In Event: Theory-Stories and Social Studies Education

Abstract

Becoming/Haecceity

The concepts of haecceity and becoming (Deleuze & Guattari, 1980/1987) unsettle how we understand ourselves and each other (human and more-than-human). Haecceity makes the Enlightenment conception of “human” unthinkable (St. Pierre, 2011), which poses a dilemma for the social in social studies. If we were to (re)think the individual through these concepts, perhaps we would not get stuck in divisive/schismatic categorizations of identity that result in making claims about a person—or a group—based on broad generalizations. Perhaps we would think differently before creating policies that impact people, as people are now not individuals; they are multiple, complex, connected, intersectional, and ever-changing. Haecceity also deconstructs studies—disrupting what research is, how we “do” it, and what it can be. Without a stable knowing/knowledgeable researcher and participants, traditional notions of methodology, data, ethics, analysis, and positionality do not hold (St. Pierre, 2011). Perhaps social studies education needs to slow down to rethink what research can be in our field and discover new ways to engage with research. Thus, haecceity and becoming have the potential to (un)do identity, scholarship, and praxis so that social studies becomes an ethico-onto-epistemological project (Barad, 2007), where pedagogy and research are (un)done, relational, uncertain, unpredictable, lively, and philosophy-laden.

Black Feminism

This paper discusses my journey of discovering Black feminisms as a Black woman teacher educator and researcher. As I became familiar with this group of theories, I came to realize how much I needed these standpoint theories throughout my life. As Black feminisms focus on the interlocking oppressions that affect Black women’s lived experiences, including racism, sexism, and classism, Black feminism helped me make sense of the ways people respond to me and the systems I live within. I close this paper by discussing the ways social studies education research can benefit from implementing Black feminism.

Authors

• Rebecca C. Christ, Florida International University

• Kristen Duncan, Clemson University