10 thoughts on “12 Rights, Justice Human Agency – Final Class”
Rabia Mir
An art form that we did not discuss in class but I have great admiration for is comedy/political satire. So here are a few samples from some comedians I admire. As part of education plus self care.
1. My favourite lesson learned in this class is the need for desired-centered research instead of the usual damage-centered research and reporting. Eve Tuck’s article forms the foundation for this. Further, desired centered research is important in human rights and justice work because it lets us see and recognize the agency and human good in survivors even where we may not initially see. It is this agency and good that can open windows for constructive and sustainable change post violent experiences be it war or natural disasters. Additionally, my continent (Africa) has always been negatively portrayed as the worst, poorest, backward and all the bad things one can think of, and a desired centered approach to whatever work done on the continent is one window to show the other side of the coin for African people, the reason-‘the dangers of a single story’ is my best video.
2. This class has also taught me that change doesn’t come easily, to the point that we, human rights workers, get to question our ability, contribution, legitimacy and relevance especially if the desired change takes longer than expected or the change comes with negative consequences. The documentary-Granito was a hard watch but it further taught me that change can take a lifetime before it happens demonstrated by the eventual incarceration of massacre perpetrators in Guatemala. Also, every tiny thing we do, it is a grain of sand for a big change, it’s a concerted effort.
3. I have also learned that one person’s justice can be another’s injustice. For instance the quest for justice by the Argentina’s grandmothers was painful to some of the grandchildren while to others, it was victory.
And finally, this quote from Teju Cole’s Nov 11th article ‘a time for refusal,’ is striking; ‘evil settles into everyday life when people are unable or unwilling to recognize it.’ In moving forward in our human rights and justice work, let us not allow evil to settle into everyday life because what we learned in this course has prepared us to do this-however little! If we let evil settle, it will forever remain in everyday life-it becomes normal. Evil ceases to be evil. The Granitos didn’t allow evil to settle in Guatemalan’s everyday life.
I think one of my favorites readings was “Justice in Transition: The Micro-politics of Reconciliation in Postwar Peru” which showed the power of communities in restoring themselves. it was an actual process of healing as opposed to a treatment of a infected wound that would not close (which is what most readings were about). I also liked “Suspending damage” as it opened my eyes to the realities of politization and victimization in a way I haven’t considered before. Finally, the testimony of the kidnapped girl who went to war as a soldier –which I can’t seem to find– was incredibly moving. It’s relatively easy to fall into binary evaluations of actors in human right conflicts.
I am sorry to see this course coming to an end although it also feels like time to finish this chapter and move on to the next one. This course has touched on so many topics and issues and has created many doubts and difficulties. It has made the world look different – and unfortunately not in any way better. I am left with questions like: how can people do these things to each other? How can good intentions be realized into good actions? How can justice ever be achieved? What can do? What next? Sometimes I feel like just admitting to the feeling of despair and helplessness. But then there are these little sparks of hope. Local initiatives, different politics, love or art. An article that encourages and ends with: ‘do not capitulate’ or a conviction of a dictator that brings some form of justice. And these are the moments we should treasure. These small sparks should be enough to motivate us and keep the fight for a better world going. We should not capitulate. I will not capitulate. This is something that I have learned this class, although there are times when I am in doubt. Because something else that I have learned is that there seems to be no right framework, no right approach in these highly diverse, diffuse and difficult issues. It requires a self-reflective search with different results in every case – and how do we know that what we do is right? This also leads to something I have unlearned: the idea that certain language, for example legal language, can fully capture or do justice to the meaning of what is talked about. Not everything can be talked about.
Although not everything can be talked about I appreciate how we have been able to touch on the issues that we have the last months. I feel that we have all connected through this class and that in itself is already a step forward. I want to thank everyone for that.
James Dawes’ readings had the most impact on me. I entered this class, and the journalism program more broadly, hoping to find a sign up sheet somewhere to put my name on and start directing my energies to help. The desire came partly from a hope to see the world become a more equitable place, and indirectly from a bit of personal guilt at living on the privileged point of the inequitable scale. Dawes’ reading made me consider the fact that blind ambition to help can actually have negative consequences. This was also touched on in the Cole reading of the same week. It has made me more aware of my position and how to proceed conscientiously and with more regard to the desires (versus victims) of those I may be working to share stories about as a future journalist.
The second (and also somewhat frustrating) notion that I got out of class was patience for change. I sensed that most everyone in class at one time or another had a need to see progressive action make big changes in our world, and the lack of is a point of concern. The small, incremental changes that we see may have to be enough for now and I don’t think we should despair but maybe add our own micro-changes to the world in hopes of them adding up eventually.
There are far too many things I liked about the readings and discussions in this course. But if I had to pick one in particular, it would be watching Antigonas court of women. That experience was unexpected and yet, not only had the most profound impact on me, it also made me (re) realize the power of theatre. More than its power, I felt myself renewed at how appropriate theatre is as a method of not only communicating social justice, but also a path to attaining it. It has a way of capturing the unspeakable and that is perhaps why it can be so instrumental in testimony. It, in my mind, is the perfect combination between giving rightful weight and frame to the spirit of testimony whilst reflecting enough to know how to get the message across to an audience who may be unaware, let along needing translation. This makes me think of how law, in the past, was quite often associated with theatre – being in front of a judge and jury, the lawyer was an actor. Although both the advocate and actor are acting (that is to say they are both active in their agency but also that they are both performing), this course revealed to me how inappropriate or in dire need of transformation the court room is as a venue, constrained to the extent of bringing its own legitimacy of a path to justice into question. For me, that and the piece of critical reflection were unforgettable, rewarding and indispensable in bringing human rights to centre-stage in pursuit of social justice.
This class made me reflect on my place in the world and appreciate how much needs to be done to make it a fairer place. As a policy student, I felt motivated to explore avenues for change. At the same time, I often felt disheartened and wondered if I have the capacity to contribute in a meaningful way. The range of issues we touched upon have showed that there are no straightforward solutions to human rights problems. This may sound negative, but I believe the diversity of perspectives have enlightened and made me care more. And this realization and the will to drive positive change will help us make informed and ethical decisions in our future careers.
This course has also increased my appreciation for art. I am grateful for all the insightful presentations, the opportunity to watch ‘Nostalgia for the Light’ for my own, and attending the Antigona’s Court of Women. The readings made me reflect on issues from a different lens and challenged my pre-existing opinions. Dawes’ article, the reading on marked bodies, and Cole’s and Percy’s articles were my favourites.
Favourite quotes from this week’s readings:
1. When I write about these images or about anything else, I do so without knowing how unanticipated events will alter the reception of my words. But the words must be set down anyway. The duty of critical writing is to listen to the noise of life without being deafened by it.
2. Berenger, imperfect, all alone, is racked by doubts. He is determined to keep his humanity, but looking in the mirror, he suddenly finds himself quite strange. He feels like a monster for being so out of step with the consensus. He is afraid of what this independence will cost him. But he keeps his resolve, and refuses to accept the horrible new normalcy. He’ll put up a fight, he says. “I’m not capitulating!”
I really felt that these readings and the documentary were nice choices to wrap up the class. There were some ideas that came up in this week’s readings and documentary that reminded me of previous themes that we explored throughout the duration of the course. For example, the Cole reading, A Time for Refusal, as well as Granito explored the theme of silence. I think Cole speaks of a type of silence when he talks about the risk of normalizing totalitarianism. He says “evil settles into everyday life when people are unable or unwilling to recognize it.” I think in this article he is warning us not to remain silent when there is cause to be furious (for example in the face of oppression). There are costs to remaining silent in the face of injustice. In the case of Granito, the filmmaker says that there is silence in Guatemala still because there is no justice and thus there is the risk of being killed. Here we can see that silence seems to be insidious in times that are unjust.
I would like to discuss the contradiction of the role of the state in Granito as a class. On the one hand the documentary showed and discussed how powerful the law is with regard to telling stories and fighting for justice. In fact, because of this very idea, two young women in the film were inspired to be lawyers. However, as we have seen previously in this class, oftentimes the state is complicit in producing the same injustices it hopes to resolve. The filmmaker seems to argue that we must fight for justice (in this case through legal means) because if we don’t, history will repeat itself. Do you agree with this? I do not agree because it seems like the state/legal apparatus finds people guilty often; however, this does not mean that the same crimes are not continuously committed by other individuals (i.e. multiple genocides happening throughout history). Thus, it seems to me that there are bigger structural crises (such as the nature of our economic, political and social structure) that are the root cause of history repeating itself.
Some believe that it is only GREAT POWER that can hold evil in check, but that is not what WE have found. It is the little things. Every day deeds by ordinary folk that KEEP THE DARKNESS AT BAY.
For they band together based on their shared experiences of wrongness to reject realities or potential futures. How and why they do this has been the focus of this course.
Certain strategies may seem more effective than others but what is undeniable that people do this – they reject realities and pasts all the while working tirelessly to craft new ones.
If a human rights violation is a rupturing of what is “good” or “innate” than those who crusade against these instances are menders seeking to restore wholeness to their worlds.
What I enjoyed most about this class was the diversity of readings, which included many communities around the world. It was eye opening for me to see how in the vast sea of differences between cultures and costumes, humans’ experiences of loss, disappearances and healing are very alike. This alikeness brings us closer in many ways and gives reassurance that healing is possible. Being from a country that still hasn’t had the space to openly discuss the disappeared people (in the fear of interrogation), it was helpful to see the way forward and acknowledge the current and lively social non-movements. This class showed me that there are many ways to help even if our actions are not necessarily labeled as “fighting for human rights” (in order to avoid interrogation).
Additionally, I really enjoyed the presentations. Each presentation reminded me to never undermine the role of any person that is fighting for justice, as we are all grains of sand that collectively make change. Lastly, I really enjoyed the movie Granito and the last two readings. Granito reminded us that we never know how our actions towards justice would make a difference, so patience and persistence are needed in this field of work. A quote from the movie that stayed with me:
“There are no heroes, one more heroic than another. Simply, when the hand of destiny touches you, you have to act.”
An art form that we did not discuss in class but I have great admiration for is comedy/political satire. So here are a few samples from some comedians I admire. As part of education plus self care.
Jon Stewart on BS is everywhere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz3jnwbSFAU
Trevor Noah on how easy it is to dehumanise a group of people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFbqmeCeHxs
John Oliver on Guantanomo Bay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEbFtMgGhPY
And for those who understand Urdu and where my love for comedy as social commentary started, Moin Akhtar and Anwar Maqsood:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIhmRq1uNso
Three things;
1. My favourite lesson learned in this class is the need for desired-centered research instead of the usual damage-centered research and reporting. Eve Tuck’s article forms the foundation for this. Further, desired centered research is important in human rights and justice work because it lets us see and recognize the agency and human good in survivors even where we may not initially see. It is this agency and good that can open windows for constructive and sustainable change post violent experiences be it war or natural disasters. Additionally, my continent (Africa) has always been negatively portrayed as the worst, poorest, backward and all the bad things one can think of, and a desired centered approach to whatever work done on the continent is one window to show the other side of the coin for African people, the reason-‘the dangers of a single story’ is my best video.
2. This class has also taught me that change doesn’t come easily, to the point that we, human rights workers, get to question our ability, contribution, legitimacy and relevance especially if the desired change takes longer than expected or the change comes with negative consequences. The documentary-Granito was a hard watch but it further taught me that change can take a lifetime before it happens demonstrated by the eventual incarceration of massacre perpetrators in Guatemala. Also, every tiny thing we do, it is a grain of sand for a big change, it’s a concerted effort.
3. I have also learned that one person’s justice can be another’s injustice. For instance the quest for justice by the Argentina’s grandmothers was painful to some of the grandchildren while to others, it was victory.
And finally, this quote from Teju Cole’s Nov 11th article ‘a time for refusal,’ is striking; ‘evil settles into everyday life when people are unable or unwilling to recognize it.’ In moving forward in our human rights and justice work, let us not allow evil to settle into everyday life because what we learned in this course has prepared us to do this-however little! If we let evil settle, it will forever remain in everyday life-it becomes normal. Evil ceases to be evil. The Granitos didn’t allow evil to settle in Guatemalan’s everyday life.
I think one of my favorites readings was “Justice in Transition: The Micro-politics of Reconciliation in Postwar Peru” which showed the power of communities in restoring themselves. it was an actual process of healing as opposed to a treatment of a infected wound that would not close (which is what most readings were about). I also liked “Suspending damage” as it opened my eyes to the realities of politization and victimization in a way I haven’t considered before. Finally, the testimony of the kidnapped girl who went to war as a soldier –which I can’t seem to find– was incredibly moving. It’s relatively easy to fall into binary evaluations of actors in human right conflicts.
I am sorry to see this course coming to an end although it also feels like time to finish this chapter and move on to the next one. This course has touched on so many topics and issues and has created many doubts and difficulties. It has made the world look different – and unfortunately not in any way better. I am left with questions like: how can people do these things to each other? How can good intentions be realized into good actions? How can justice ever be achieved? What can do? What next? Sometimes I feel like just admitting to the feeling of despair and helplessness. But then there are these little sparks of hope. Local initiatives, different politics, love or art. An article that encourages and ends with: ‘do not capitulate’ or a conviction of a dictator that brings some form of justice. And these are the moments we should treasure. These small sparks should be enough to motivate us and keep the fight for a better world going. We should not capitulate. I will not capitulate. This is something that I have learned this class, although there are times when I am in doubt. Because something else that I have learned is that there seems to be no right framework, no right approach in these highly diverse, diffuse and difficult issues. It requires a self-reflective search with different results in every case – and how do we know that what we do is right? This also leads to something I have unlearned: the idea that certain language, for example legal language, can fully capture or do justice to the meaning of what is talked about. Not everything can be talked about.
Although not everything can be talked about I appreciate how we have been able to touch on the issues that we have the last months. I feel that we have all connected through this class and that in itself is already a step forward. I want to thank everyone for that.
James Dawes’ readings had the most impact on me. I entered this class, and the journalism program more broadly, hoping to find a sign up sheet somewhere to put my name on and start directing my energies to help. The desire came partly from a hope to see the world become a more equitable place, and indirectly from a bit of personal guilt at living on the privileged point of the inequitable scale. Dawes’ reading made me consider the fact that blind ambition to help can actually have negative consequences. This was also touched on in the Cole reading of the same week. It has made me more aware of my position and how to proceed conscientiously and with more regard to the desires (versus victims) of those I may be working to share stories about as a future journalist.
The second (and also somewhat frustrating) notion that I got out of class was patience for change. I sensed that most everyone in class at one time or another had a need to see progressive action make big changes in our world, and the lack of is a point of concern. The small, incremental changes that we see may have to be enough for now and I don’t think we should despair but maybe add our own micro-changes to the world in hopes of them adding up eventually.
There are far too many things I liked about the readings and discussions in this course. But if I had to pick one in particular, it would be watching Antigonas court of women. That experience was unexpected and yet, not only had the most profound impact on me, it also made me (re) realize the power of theatre. More than its power, I felt myself renewed at how appropriate theatre is as a method of not only communicating social justice, but also a path to attaining it. It has a way of capturing the unspeakable and that is perhaps why it can be so instrumental in testimony. It, in my mind, is the perfect combination between giving rightful weight and frame to the spirit of testimony whilst reflecting enough to know how to get the message across to an audience who may be unaware, let along needing translation. This makes me think of how law, in the past, was quite often associated with theatre – being in front of a judge and jury, the lawyer was an actor. Although both the advocate and actor are acting (that is to say they are both active in their agency but also that they are both performing), this course revealed to me how inappropriate or in dire need of transformation the court room is as a venue, constrained to the extent of bringing its own legitimacy of a path to justice into question. For me, that and the piece of critical reflection were unforgettable, rewarding and indispensable in bringing human rights to centre-stage in pursuit of social justice.
This class made me reflect on my place in the world and appreciate how much needs to be done to make it a fairer place. As a policy student, I felt motivated to explore avenues for change. At the same time, I often felt disheartened and wondered if I have the capacity to contribute in a meaningful way. The range of issues we touched upon have showed that there are no straightforward solutions to human rights problems. This may sound negative, but I believe the diversity of perspectives have enlightened and made me care more. And this realization and the will to drive positive change will help us make informed and ethical decisions in our future careers.
This course has also increased my appreciation for art. I am grateful for all the insightful presentations, the opportunity to watch ‘Nostalgia for the Light’ for my own, and attending the Antigona’s Court of Women. The readings made me reflect on issues from a different lens and challenged my pre-existing opinions. Dawes’ article, the reading on marked bodies, and Cole’s and Percy’s articles were my favourites.
Favourite quotes from this week’s readings:
1. When I write about these images or about anything else, I do so without knowing how unanticipated events will alter the reception of my words. But the words must be set down anyway. The duty of critical writing is to listen to the noise of life without being deafened by it.
2. Berenger, imperfect, all alone, is racked by doubts. He is determined to keep his humanity, but looking in the mirror, he suddenly finds himself quite strange. He feels like a monster for being so out of step with the consensus. He is afraid of what this independence will cost him. But he keeps his resolve, and refuses to accept the horrible new normalcy. He’ll put up a fight, he says. “I’m not capitulating!”
I really felt that these readings and the documentary were nice choices to wrap up the class. There were some ideas that came up in this week’s readings and documentary that reminded me of previous themes that we explored throughout the duration of the course. For example, the Cole reading, A Time for Refusal, as well as Granito explored the theme of silence. I think Cole speaks of a type of silence when he talks about the risk of normalizing totalitarianism. He says “evil settles into everyday life when people are unable or unwilling to recognize it.” I think in this article he is warning us not to remain silent when there is cause to be furious (for example in the face of oppression). There are costs to remaining silent in the face of injustice. In the case of Granito, the filmmaker says that there is silence in Guatemala still because there is no justice and thus there is the risk of being killed. Here we can see that silence seems to be insidious in times that are unjust.
I would like to discuss the contradiction of the role of the state in Granito as a class. On the one hand the documentary showed and discussed how powerful the law is with regard to telling stories and fighting for justice. In fact, because of this very idea, two young women in the film were inspired to be lawyers. However, as we have seen previously in this class, oftentimes the state is complicit in producing the same injustices it hopes to resolve. The filmmaker seems to argue that we must fight for justice (in this case through legal means) because if we don’t, history will repeat itself. Do you agree with this? I do not agree because it seems like the state/legal apparatus finds people guilty often; however, this does not mean that the same crimes are not continuously committed by other individuals (i.e. multiple genocides happening throughout history). Thus, it seems to me that there are bigger structural crises (such as the nature of our economic, political and social structure) that are the root cause of history repeating itself.
Some believe that it is only GREAT POWER that can hold evil in check, but that is not what WE have found. It is the little things. Every day deeds by ordinary folk that KEEP THE DARKNESS AT BAY.
For they band together based on their shared experiences of wrongness to reject realities or potential futures. How and why they do this has been the focus of this course.
Certain strategies may seem more effective than others but what is undeniable that people do this – they reject realities and pasts all the while working tirelessly to craft new ones.
If a human rights violation is a rupturing of what is “good” or “innate” than those who crusade against these instances are menders seeking to restore wholeness to their worlds.
What I enjoyed most about this class was the diversity of readings, which included many communities around the world. It was eye opening for me to see how in the vast sea of differences between cultures and costumes, humans’ experiences of loss, disappearances and healing are very alike. This alikeness brings us closer in many ways and gives reassurance that healing is possible. Being from a country that still hasn’t had the space to openly discuss the disappeared people (in the fear of interrogation), it was helpful to see the way forward and acknowledge the current and lively social non-movements. This class showed me that there are many ways to help even if our actions are not necessarily labeled as “fighting for human rights” (in order to avoid interrogation).
Additionally, I really enjoyed the presentations. Each presentation reminded me to never undermine the role of any person that is fighting for justice, as we are all grains of sand that collectively make change. Lastly, I really enjoyed the movie Granito and the last two readings. Granito reminded us that we never know how our actions towards justice would make a difference, so patience and persistence are needed in this field of work. A quote from the movie that stayed with me:
“There are no heroes, one more heroic than another. Simply, when the hand of destiny touches you, you have to act.”