A Practice of Transformative Education

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This week, our group finalized our item selection. Compared to previous weeks, we focused on constructing the meaning behind the chronological presentation of our objects. After viewing the class exhibition, I noticed some key differences between our approach and that of other groups. When other groups were presenting, most of them mentioned that they were trying to focus on capturing the key moments in the Kenyon history of their theme when selecting items. Therefore, in my opinion, their presentations have a degree of historical and factual foundation based on the assumption that the theme has made historical progress at Kenyon. This can be seen through the presentation of specific figures and specific events related to those figures. Looking back, I realize that our selection process involved a conscious attempt to highlight student responses that best represent Kenyon’s engagement with global politics from the past century to the present. After all, the approaches that different groups took to construct their exhibition narrative reflect our foundational perception of both the theme and the public perception of Kenyon’s relationality to the theme.

In Chapter 6, “#MeToo, Black Feminism, and the Queenmakers,” Yazdiha examines how social movements employ tactics of restoration, reconciliation, and reckoning to reshape narratives of justice. While reading this, I was struck by the fluidity of alliances and tensions between social groups. Yet a central question lingered: To what extent are these tactics, such as coalition-building, narrative refinement, or reckoning with historical ties to other groups, conscious strategies versus organic, impulsive processes? This question holds significance because it speaks to the agency of individuals and collectives in shaping public discourse. Are movements actively, intentionally constructing identities and solidarities, or are they responding to structural or emotional currents beyond their control? Perhaps, this tension also leads to a broader theoretical debate in sociology’s study of collective memory: Is identity formation rooted in rationalist frameworks (strategic, calculated appeals to history) or non-rationalist ones (emotional and “un”conscious ties to the past)? Do social movements succeed by invoking immediate moral repercussions, or by anchoring themselves in the historical roots of their communities? I think this is what Yazdiha’s analysis invites us to think about the driving force of social change.

In the Conclusion of her book, Yazdiha (2023:190) states that although she is “skeptical that formal education is the only way out of our current state,” “the legacies of the civil rights movement show us that a critical education and a spiritual education can be transformative”. As she explains, critical education fosters a sociological imagination through which individuals contextualize their lived experiences within broader socio-historical frameworks. Meanwhile, spiritual education cultivates a sense of interconnectedness, binding us not only to one another but “to the natural world and beyond.” In this way, these forms of learning enable us to feel the experience of living together as a whole, reimagining social existence beyond the constraints of the present and envisioning bold possibilities for the collective goods.

Lastly, returning to the themes of our exhibition, Kenyon, as a small liberal arts college, acts as both a window and a microcosm: a window into the chaotic, polarized landscape of global politics, and a microcosm of the possibility of critical thinking and inclusive dialogue. Like the transformative education Yazdiha envisions, Kenyon’s ethos encourages students to interrogate the history and present critically while fostering a community that amplifies marginalized voices. As the group focusing on Kenyon students’ responses to global politics, we aimed to show that through collective activism, Kenyon becomes a space where the sociological imagination actively participates in shaping the world beyond the nearby. Here, what Yazdiha describes as “living together as a whole” becomes a real practice, challenging us to reimagine our identities and roles in a fractured world.


References

Yazdiha, Hajar. 2023. The Struggle for the People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

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