Reflection

So far, we’ve dealt with a lot of materials and had a lot of discussions that have
reshaped my thinking in a lot of ways or that have drawn my attention to issues I never quite
paid much attention to in the past. One reading from this class which particularly stood out to
me was the Sorrells reading. I have always grappled with accepting my culture for all that it is. I
previously viewed culture as a rigid box in which I was confined. The reading offered me brand
new lenses which adjusted my view of culture. The reading offered me a way out of the rigid box
in explaining culture as something that is malleable and subject to critique as opposed to a rigid
structure passed down from generation to generation.
Our Gorski reading resonated with me as well. There are many times when I have been
in situations where an institution claimed to be celebrating ‘cultural diversity’ but it never felt
quite right. These events that were supposed to be ‘empowering’ often left me feeling the direct
opposite of that. I feel like Gorski’s article gave meaning to these feelings I never managed to
label. It gave me some form of validation by highlighting one of the many ways in which laying
too much emphasis on culture can be harmful and can further promote inequity.
One of the most challenging aspects of this class so far has been reflection. I believe this
comes with a lot of vulnerability that I am not very used to. Opening myself up to look within can
be very scary especially because sometimes I find myself on the negative end. One practical
example of this is; after reflecting on Chimamanda’s speech on the danger of a single story, I
found myself harboring some single stories about other people I have encountered in my life.
In addition to that, I also find myself sometimes filtering my responses. Being the only
African in the class, I feel burdened with the responsibility to be a good reflection of my country
and my continent at large. Knowing that my culture is mostly looked down upon and seen as
barbaric makes it hard for me to critique some aspects of it publicly out of fear of feeding into
those stereotypes.
However, all in all, I am enjoying this class very much. I leave every session feeling very
enriched in knowledge. It has been great learning and unlearning things everyday and engaging
with all of these new concepts. I enjoy the interconnectedness of all our reading and theories
we’re learning about and how they are challenging our fixed ways of thinking. I have also
observed that the other members of this class also do their best to contribute towards rich
discussion and it’s always so enlightening to hear what my classmates have to say.