hi everyone,
the question of experience as a source of knowing seems to me to be a very
important one. especially in regards to validating the experience of people of
color, i think it would be very inappropriate for me, a white woman, to ever
speak *for* a woman of color; however, i do see real importance in speaking *to*
and speaking *with.* in other words, i think my opinion counts for something (
if i have done the necessary thinking, research, listening to others, etc on a
particular topic), but i could never attempt to speak from a position of
experience, which, to me seems of vital and *primary* importance.
another thought: often personal experience of a particular social position only
gives me a partial understanding of what it means to be of that particular
group. for instance, i'm not sure i totally understand what it means to be a
woman. and i certainly know i can't speak for all women.
if we see identity as fluid, shifting, always contextualized and historicized,
we might see that there are many differing (contradictory?) definitions which
inform even one social category. experience in a particular time and place can
vary drastically from one person of a certain category to another (of the same
category), so that i might think it means one thing to be a woman right here,
right now, and another woman on this list will probably have a differing
definition. can we both be "right"?
but in the context of speaking about issues outside your own cultural, social
position, i have to agree with nicole. you can never know what it means to be a
member of a group until you have walked in those shoes, so to speak.
cheers,
beth
Susan Hoyle wrote:
> Just in case Nicole's latest post was referring inter alias to me, I should
> say that I could direct all the questions I asked in my first post to a
> feminist position. Our experience as women is valid, I do not dispute that;
> but what exactly does it validate and invalidate? I am not trying to score
> points. I am interested in what others have to say about what seems to me
> to be a real problem.
>
> Susan
