Dream-Mapping in Education: An Anticolonial, Antiracist, Femme, Crip Research Imaginary

• In Event: Queer (Re)Storying of Dreams and Histories

Abstract

This paper outlines dream-mapping, an experimental anticolonial, antiracist, femme, crip research imaginary. Dream-mapping is an arts-based and participatory-informed methodology that invites people to reflect on their dreams: desires, hopes and aspirations about educational institutions. Connecting with theorizing around futurity and softness, I make an argument that dreams are key for shaping present and future directions of gender and sexuality education and queer and trans scholarship. Dream-mapping embraces a soft queer ethic of failure, meaning it: (1) embraces getting lost and changing “the plan”; (2) it relishes in play and making “low brow” art; and (3) it attends to the emotions that come up when we talk about hope and what is not currently present in the world.

Author

• Lindsay Cavanaugh, University of Toronto