SEMILLERO: EXPLORING ALTER/NATIVE ESTRATEGIES FOR LIBERATION

SEMILLERO: SEMILLERO: EXPLORING ALTER/NATIVE EXPLORING ALTER/NATIVE STRATEGIES FOR LIBERATION STRATEGIES FOR LIBERATION Laura Maria Ordoñez Tello Laura Maria Ordoñez Tello

AAND ND aNTH 496 SPRING 2023 CLASS aNTH 496 SPRING 2023 CLASS

AGRADECIMIENTOS AGRADECIMIENTOS

I would like to thank Professor Rachael Chapman for sharing the field of anthropology in terms with which I ought to familiarize myself and my academic training. In particular, for introducing new tools and strategies for gaining, building, sharing, and learning knowledge(methodology); presenting hidden voices and lenses to view and perceive reality (ontology); uncovering approaches to continue building how we think about reality(epistemology) from the "frontiers," the "margins," from the "bottom looking up," and from our semillas.

I want to thank each of my classmates (Eveline, Hannan, Enrique Anna, Simon, Romina, Kimmie, Yixuan, Jon and Audrey ) and express my appreciation for the collective effort to review alter/native scholars in class, for allowing me to resonate and feel again that it is possible to be and act as a scholar in a way that my feeling, thoughts, voice, and body feel comfortable and complement each other without constricting, veiling, silencing, positioning, or naming myself on someone else's assumptions. Once again, GRACIAS for joining me in:

PREFACE PREFACE

¡Hola! Welcome to this class, however you found yourself here. I'm sure you have plenty of questions, and that's great because we're about to break free from the boundaries of standard education and experience how they fade away and morph into multiple forms in this course Here, you, our folks, the querida Professor Rachael Chapman a and me — trough this lines come together to rekindle our deep connection with ourselves, the circumstances that have brought us here and what has been our relationship with knowledge and forms of learning to see, represent and connect with the world

We will embark on a timeless journey, unraveling the complexities of our personal feelings, thoughts and experiences, especially with academia, and the disciplines in which we are trained or work. So, we should get ready to venture from inside out into uncharted grounds address and redefine the relationship with our own fields.

Our aim is to discover ways to challenge and transform prevailing practices in academia and to guide our direction, both in our day-to-day lives, — specially in our classes, projects, researches and our performance in academia— by creatively altering and disrupting what has been historically taken for granted, as global truth or established as the dominant way of existing and defining the world. The purpose of this work, the time invested, the upcoming pages, and the class itselfis to delve and question about the existing framework through which we have traditionally learned, acquired knowledge, and engaged as scholars, going beyond the confines of the established "scientific method and its expectations

In my words, alter/native refers to the conscious decision to explore from the inside to disarticulate the established structures of the external context with our actions. It involves recognizing ourselves as the center, sources of knowledge, and embodiments of our ancestral wisdom. It is a transformative journey emphasizing collectivity, love, emotions, diversities, healings, knowledges, and social justices from the voices of those who have historically been subjected to live through someone else's eyes. acknowledging Francia Márquez's words and how she used Karl Popper's paradox This journey implies "no tolerar lo intolerable" and embracing ways to proliferate it "hasta que la dignidad se haga confianza."

Our aim is to uncover ways to challenge and transform the dominant practices in academia by examining the experiences, strategies, and proposals of scholars who have dismantled and face oppressive structures, narratives, and power dynamics

They all are scholars who were explored during ANTH 496 Spring 2023 Alter/Native Power Exploring Alter/Native Strategies from Inside Anthropology Out (ANTH 496), and who have studied themselves and their communities from the inside out, breaking with the limited and oppositional scientific bynarism of “outsider/foreign/objective/legitimate” and “insider/native/ethno/ borderland /mestizo/ subaltern/ marginal/ hybrid/ halfie/ indigenous”. Likewise, all of them share their journeys in proposing methodological tools for alter/native research, that is, applied and experienced concepts or proposals elaborated by themselves for their community and according to their contexts, narratives, and ways of living and defining themselves.

By doing so, we pursuit to acknowledge and identify the homogenizing forces that shape our personal relationships and academic pursuits. We aspire to disrupt historically hegemonic dynamics the dominant and oppressive narratives, ideas, and actions influenced by biases and prejudices based on race, gender, and class that are the agents of inequality, racism, marginalization, and even genocide Then, what is expected and desired is that we endeavor to construct alternative paths within our respective fields of study, thereby liberating our own unique ways of learning, sharing, constructing, and generating knowledge

So, let's join experiences, ideas, feelings and take on this challenge together, fostering an environment of respect, love, understanding, disruption, deep listening, arts, sense and

(anything yo need to feel completely comfortable sharing from within, write it on the lines above Also keep your thoughts and feelings for you are welcome! So, please FEEL FREE to complete these lines with the desired agreements or commitments you think are necessary to build a safe place of sharing, listening, and supporting each other.)

However, I'll be right here, sharing my personal experience and from now suggesting semilleros as a way to connect and create with all of you you, our classmate, and Prof. Chapman. It will be a path, the bridge, the guide or the seam that will allow me to connect with you and lead us on the journey of exploring alter/native strategies of liberation. But, first I'll explain you what is a "semillero" along a metaphor "from semillas to semilleros"

FROM SEMILLA TO SEMILLEROS FROM SEMILLA TO SEMILLEROS

A semillero is where diverse semllas collections are conserved, while semilleros in the academia context I come from, are study groups that encourage students, pofessor and community to collaborate in research activities that go beyond the formal academic setting. These semilleros intend to promote interdisciplinarity through horizontal relationships and a hands-on "learning-by-doing" approach.

Thus, Imagine your life as a flourishing plant. I may not know the current state or stage of your journey, but together we will reestablish a connection with the seeds that have brought us here. We will delve into the essence of these semillas, exploring how our roots have shaped us thus far. Our exploration will take us wherever these roots lead and reveal what awaits us to be discovered. Understanding these roots is crucial; they intertwine with our body, forming our true core. By observing and identifying the nutrients and environment that have nourished us, we can gain insight into how we experience, perceive, and relate to the world around us.

Now let's embark on an exploration of the branches we have developed and the harvests we have already reaped Most importantly, we will examine our growth, both past and present, recognizing the parts of ourselves (memories, body, mindset, soul, experiences, senses) that have endured pain, brokenness, dehydration or wounds that in various life circumstances have left us with scars or wounds to heal. And, above all, examining how we want to bloom, what we are leaving, when we wither, as well as what kind of fruit we want to bring to the world and how to share our seeds with others. So, let's picture this as semilla-circle life journey!

This is a proposal that conceptualize ourselves as individual semilla, symbolizing the embodiment and heritage of our ancestors. However, when semillas collections are conserved in a single location, the collective presence forms a semillero characterized by an extraordinary wealth of diversity, encompassing the accumulated legacy of countless preceding generations In this order of ideas, the semilla would be each student who participated in ANTH 496 and the semillero would be the whole class itself.

And yes! you too are part of this gathering of semillas that come together from different places to explore, analyze, adjust, transform, share, explain, imagine, create and discuss alter/native strategies of liberation But remember, I will be here to guide you through my own experience, how I trace the semilla-circle life journey of what and how I have learned about exploring Alter/Native Strategies from Inside Anthropology Out during the ANTH 496 classes.

In the following pages, you'll discover an incomplete collection of alternative/native tools were collectively discovdiscoverederd during the ANTH 496 circle meetings. Each tool will be explained , followed by an introspective activity and my personal experience applying it. There is no order to follow, you can start with any tool, so I hope you will join us in this do cument a hybrid of an active journal, an unfinished book or, a workbook —to explore and render alter/native strategies for liberation in the seedbed Remember, this journey is even more rewarding when we collectively explore, share, and learn. These tools have illuminated my personal journey of the semilla-circle life, and I hope they can do the same for you too!

But you will also find other activities that will allow you to connect with yourself from the inside out, some blank sheets to add to this document so you can "capture" whatever you want to add from these experieces , For sure you will find my personal notes too. And for sure, you will also have room to add your own salter/native tool

Get ready for an exciting adventure! Imagine yourself as a semilla, planted by your ancestors. Let's explore, discover, and understand how they've shaped us. Think about the nutrients we need to grow, flourish, and bear fruit. Also, let's identify the external factors that may hinder our progress. Now, let's bring this metaphor into the academic realm and your field of expertise. Take a holistic look at how you got here, considering your RELATIONSHIP with mind, body, and emotions as one. And what legacy would you like to leave from inside out in your semillas?

ART-BASED INQUIRY AND ART-BASED INQUIRY AND INTERPRETATIVE HORIZONS INTERPRETATIVE HORIZONS

NAMING SO AS TO UN-NAME WITHIN THE CIRCLE NAMING SO AS TO UN-NAME WITHIN THE CIRCLE

This tool is inspired by the phrase 'The necessity of naming so as to un-name' by Trinh Minh-Ha and the paper 'Circle as Methodology: Enacting an Aboriginal Paradigm' by Fyre Jean Graveline (2000) It will allow us to observe how we name so as to un-name ourselves and our surroundings by understanding how the relationship is established when a circle methodology is employed

From the first day of ANTH 496 classes to the end, I experienced the circle methodology, where I and all my classmates and Professor Chapman sat in a circle formation to promote an atmosphere of equality, where all individuals have an equal opportunity to speak and be heard." We all occupied a space where we could freely talk and listen to each other. There was no specific order to share ideas, but we consistently showed respect for those we listened to, holding the "space/time" of both the speakers and the listeners.

We always had a space to nourish ourselves and share food textures, snacks and drinks while discussing readings, sharing ideas d i . W l o h ld a f h nt d t join, the circles are always open as the circle allowed me to nourish m as allowing me to be aware of the what needs to be un-named, re-na no have been named. Another imp un-name within the circle is that t equipment to avoid using technolo

To finish explaining this tool, t Graveline (2000,p.364-366) descri

NAMING SO AS TO UN-NAME WITHIN THE CIRCLE NAMING SO AS TO UN-NAME WITHIN THE CIRCLE ((EXCERCISE) EXCERCISE)

I would love for you to experience the circle methodology, and if not you can also do it for yourself!

I want you to introduce yourself and write as you would if it were spoken, just write those words. *If english is a language that limits you because you don't feel the terms are right, use you own or other languages, make other words or transform the ones you feel necessary, or if words are a limitation, take advantage of this and find another way like songs, poems, draw or share here the holistic way you have to present yourself. Hola, my name is LAURA MARIA ORDOÑEZ TELLO, but you can call me LAURA! the A sounds in spanish like the A as "Apple" I'm from Colombia My eyes have been formed from a tri-ethnic prism: indigenous or first population; the other two come almost simultaneously, the Africans and the Europeans -mainly from Spain. And this is the thing, to be not in either of the three corners of the prism, sometimes close to one of the three, but anyhow to be a projection of it. So, at me moment I recognize myself as a mestiza with afro-colombian soul. I'm a sociologist, but I have been teaching spanish online for 3 years. And, this is my first year and time studying in englsih, Im doing a master in International studies! Nice to meet you :)

Shawn Wilson. 2009. Research as Ceremon

Art-based inquiry acknowledges and invite us to embrace artistic expressions to provide distinct perspectives and understandings that may not be captured through conventional research methods alone (Allen,2013). Interpretative horizons refer to the various ways in which individuals or communities interpret and make sense of their experiences and the world around them (Moya,2011). Then, my proposal is to utilize art activities, workshops, exhibitions, performances, and resources to explore interpretative horizons and promote Artbased inquiry in research projects

Personally, art-based research and interpretive horizons are linked in the sense that artistic experiences can help reveal and explore the various hidden or covert aspects of the dominant interpretive horizons that shape our contexts. Art-based research serves as a portal that allows us to go deeper, to go beyond superficial or externally imposed interpretations. It is therefore an incredible tool to approach concepts such as identity (evolving definition that emerge from the selfperception and how and how someone else situated individual within sociopolitical context ) and its relationship with gender, culture, sex, race, religion, nationality, professions, age, ethnicity, among other aspects that we associate consciously or not when we refer to identity.

To conclude the explanation of this tool, the following images are extracted from the reader Allen (2000, p 19) on art-based inquiry and Moya's explanation of interpretative horizons (2011, p. 80).

I have to confess that the whole idea of this work is an attempt to apply this tool, if you had not noticed here you noticed The metaphor of "from semillas to semilleros" and the idea of life's journey seed-circle and all activities are designed to explore in detail their interpretive horizons trought art based expressions / reflections

Allen (2000, p. 19)

Moya(2011, p. 80)

ART-BASED INQUIRY AND INTERPRETATIVE HORIZONS ART-BASED INQUIRY AND INTERPRETATIVE HORIZONS

Let's take a moment to visually represent or record the seeds we inherit from our ancestors

Identify which seeds have sprouted and which have not. Consider the nutrients present in the soil, the environment that surrounds us, and the external characteristics that contribute to our growth

For example, think, draw or/and write the semillas we carry from our ancestors; which semillas have grown, which have not, what are the nutrients in the soil, what environment surrounds us and the external characteristics that allow us to grow.

I may not know the current state or stage of your journey, but I know mine and will share it with you.

INSPIRED BY THIS MONICA CURCA POSTER, WHAT WOULD YOURS SAY?

ART BY: MONICA CURCA

THEY WANTED TO __________

BUT THEY DID NOT WE WERE ____________________________

TriciaHersey

REST IS RESISTANCE

"Refusetopushmybody"

"Ourbodiesareasiteof liberation"

"I'minspiredbydisruption"

"Deprogramfromgrind cultureandacademia"

PerformanceArtist.

Writer.

TheaterMaker.

Activist.

Theologian.

Daydreamer.

Biography

"Makeusallmorehuman"

"Deepcommunalhealing"

REST DREAM RESIST IMAGINE

Tricia is native of the South Side of Chicago, and as the torch-bearer of her family’s Mississippi and Louisiana roots.

She necessarily dissolves these boundaries to unlock mental, physical, and spiritual spaces for radical thought and imagination.

The wideness of her practice opens portals and possibilities of world-building and future-casting while embodying the teachings of somatics, womanism, womanist theology, Black Liberation Theology, Afrofuturism, and her ancestors.

From: http://www.triciahersey.com/about.htm

Hersey, T. (2022). Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto. Hachette UK.l

REST IS RESISTANCE REST IS RESISTANCE

" Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto"(Hersey,2022) offers a reminder book for life. You can read it any time; it will always be the perfect time to read it! In short, you will reevaluate ideas and embrace rest as a means of personal and collective liberation. It will encourage us to prioritize selfcare, set boundaries, and challenge the unhealthy narratives that shaped the idea of resting in our lives So, I would love it if you could find and read the book! Do you need to rest? Go, sleep, sleep, sleep! But come back and complete, transform, delete, or add more lines of the poem "REST IS..."

"YOU DON’T THINK YOUR WAY INTO A DIFFERENT WAY OF ACTING; YOU ACT YOUR WAY INTO A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING"

ANDREA SMITH

EDUARDO GALEANO

Uruguayanjournalist,writer,andpoliticalactivistbornonSeptember3, 1940,inMontevideo,Uruguay.

Galeano'searlyworkfocusedonpoliticsandsocialissues,andhe becameknownforhisleftistviewsandactivism.Galeano'smost famousworkis"TheOpenVeinsofLatinAmerica"(1971),which examinesthehistoryofcolonialismandimperialisminLatinAmerica. ThebookbecameaclassicofLatinAmericanliteratureandwaswidely readthroughoutthecontinent.

"ChildrenoftheDays"(Galeano,2015)isabookstructuredlikea calendar,whereeachdayoftheyearfeaturesashortstory fromdiversecultures,geographies,andthemes throughouttime. Eachstoryisananecdoteofhumanity thatiswritteninsuchabriefandconcisewaythat,even ifthereaderdoesnotknowthepreviouscontext,anyonecan understanditandembracedifferentmomentsandaspectsofthehistory ofhumanbeings.Therefore,thegeneralmessagethatGaleanowantsto conveyisthathumanbeings,society,andourdailylivesaremadeupof stories,anditiswewhomakehistory.Thatiswhy,ontherightandin "yellowstamp,"Iaddedaquoteforwhichheiswellknown.InEnglish,it wouldbe"Wearewhatwedo,aboveall,whatwedotochangewhatwe are"fromhisbook"TheBookofEmbraces"(1989).

MOSAIC MOSAIC

Based on Galeano's presentation of Romina and Simon, and using their definition of Mosaic: The poetic arrangement shows a contextual embodiment of broken pasts I want to share with you my favorite day of the year from "Children of Days" (2012) and how I tried to do something similar about the day I was born So, as you might be guessing, yes! The idea is for you to write about the day you were born, doing your best to apply Galeano's writing style, fragmented holism, and nonlinear mosaic of memories However, try to find and read the book, or at least pick 5 days of the year and review it!

Thefifthandlastdaughter, ather42, athis49.

InthecountrynowknownasColombia. Inthe"department"(state)Huila(in Paez,itmeansluminousmountain), closetotheriverYuma(itmeansthe riverofthefriendlycountry)

andasmymothertoldme a"dulcesito"(tinycandy)wasborn28 yearsago. Hisbrotherwenttothehospitaldressed asBatman(NorthAmerican"hero").

Forthattime,atthismoment,inNeiva at7:30pm,Icameouttothisworldona regularnightofwhat iscalleda "Halloween."

Maracle (1990) describes the importance and power of oratory to represent the accumulated knowledge, cultural values, histories, contexts, perspectives, and interactions of a population of human beings. Maracle argues that theory and story are not separate entities but share similar components. Maracle challenges this notion, stating that removing human characters from theory is a futile effort since theories are meaningful only within human interactions, narratives, voices, and lived experinces. She suggests that “human spirit and the body agree: to be passionate is to be alive We cannot erase passion from spirit of people delete passion from our lives leads to a weird kind of sociopathy -- a heartlessness.” (Maracle 1994, p 8)

Using oratory as a means to listen and observe allows us to explore diverse perspectives on reality, specifically the narratives that are hidden through the dominant voices It challenges the idea of separating the mind and body, recognizing their interconnectedness. Through oratory, we create a space for personal growth, sharing, discovery, and knowledgeexperiences

The stories and the experiences “bring the reality home and allow the victims to devictimize their consciousness.”, and “spirals out from the self, in a dogged and heartfelt way, to touch the heart of woman.” (Maracle 1994, p.9)

It helps us understand the importance of integrating our physical a , ng richer engagement with the world. Oratory, encourages us to get closer to our ancestors and to connect with the semillas they sowed in us. It invites us to explore how our past has shaped us, how the outside is related to our nutrients, soils, or inside our bodies, hearts, mindset, or souls. It will also allow us to recognize how we are or are not reproducing the dominant narratives through the languages, comments, expressions, and jokes we use to list or share oratory. Additionally, oratory can take us wherever our roots take us or as far as the relationship (as listener or storyteller) endured.

Well, this one I want to use mine digital drawing/collage/picture as guide to express what will be

Well, this one I want to use mine digital drawing/collage/picture as guide to express what will be exposed when you do oratory (as listener or storyteller)

Chicana/LatinaTestimonios:Mappingthe Methodological,PedagogicalandPolitical

TESTIMONIO

Dominantculture

Personalexperiences

ShiftingIdentities

Oralculture

Marginsvoice

Provideawaytotheorizeand learnfrombodilyexperiences ofoppressionandresistance.

Involvetheparticipantsina criticalreflectionoftheir personalexperiencewithin particularsociopolitical realities.

Attempttosituatethe researcher-participantina reciprocalrelationshipwhere genuineconnectionsare madebetweentheresearcher andcommunitymembers. BridgingIndividualwith collectivehistories

DisruptSilencing

BuildSolidarity

SocialJustice

Criticalconsciousness

Activistapproach

Revealsandepistemologyof truths. Connectgenerationsof displacedanddisenfranchised acrosstime.

Allowthemind,bodyand spirittobeequallyvaluable sourcesofknowledgeand embracetheengagementof socialtransformation. Impliestheprocessof reflection:allowustolearn listentoourelderswisdomto preserveknowledgethatwill notbelearnedinschools.

Bernal et al. 2012. Chicana/Latina Testimonios.: Mapping the Methodological, Pedagogical and Political

REFERENCES REFERENCES

Rachel Chapman 2023 ANTH 496 Spring 2023 Alter/Native Power Exploring Alter/Native Strategies from Inside Anthropology Out. University of Washington

Bernal et al 2012 Chicana/Latina Testimonios.: Mapping the Methodological, Pedagogical and Political

Lee Maracle, 1990 Oratory Coming to Theory. Gallerie Publications

Eduardo Galeano. 2015. Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History.

Smith, Andrea 2013 "The Problem with 'Privilege'." Andrea Smith's Blog. August 14, 2013.

The Problem with ‘Privilege’.” Andrea Smith’s Blog. AUGUST 14, 2013.

Hersey, Tricia 2022 Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto

Moya, Paula. 2011. "Who We Are and From Where We Speak." Transmodernity: Journal of Peripheral Cultural Production of the Luso-Hispanic World, 1(2), 80-94.

Allen, Pat. 2013. "Art as Inquiry: Towards a research method that holds soul truth." In Art as Research, edited by Shaun McNiff, 13-17.

Graveline, Fyre Jean 2000 "Circle as Methodology: Enacting an Aboriginal Paradigm."

International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 13(3), 361-370.

Smith, K , 2009 This is not a book Penguin.

Shawn Wilson. 2009. Research as Ceremony.

GRACIAS GRACIAS POR POR

PERMITIRME PERMITIRME RESONAR RESONAR