Hi there!
My name is Julia Hofmann. I’m 22-years-old and I’m in 3rd year working on my BA in Psychology. I’m quite used to blogging (seasoned Tumblr user over here), but this is my first time taking an online course as well as using WordPress. I’m looking forward to this semester immensely!
I have a pretty big family. I am the eldest and I have 4 half-siblings, 2 biological parents, 2 step-parents, and a cat (who I unashamedly call my child).
(The eldest of my four younger siblings and I.)
(My cat, Nala, chilling atop her favourite spot in our home.)
When I’m not studying (a rarity), I enjoy grabbing drinks with friends, hiking and snowboarding, reading, and listening to music. David Bowie has been a huge influence in my music taste and I am absolutely devastated over his recent passing. While I honestly cannot choose a favourite song of his, I’ll link 3 favourites that come to mind: Soul Love, Young Americans, Life On Mars?. I also love travelling, but being on a student budget has limited me from exercising my wanderlust to about once every 3 years. So far I have traveled to London (England) twice, Puerto Vallarta (Mexico), and various provinces & states in Canada and the USA. This Summer I will be jetting off to Paris — I am extremely excited!!
I am an intersectional feminist which is one of the reasons why I enrolled in this course; I am looking forward to reading Canadian literature written in a non-eurocentric lense. I think if I call myself a feminist, I should really know more about the struggles and stories of Canadian Aboriginals. What better way to further that education than by enrolling in a Canadian literature course that covers those topics? While this course will not always be easy, I am looking forward to reading the creative voices of some Canadian Aboriginal writers. I truly believe conversations about issues such as the effects of european colonization and assimilation are important for the understanding of my own privilege, especially considering these issues are still prevalent in Canadian society.
I’ll admit that I definitely cringed at myself when identifying as a feminist because I was afraid of unspoken judgement. That being said, if you find yourself inwardly hissing at the word – I know I used to! – I would encourage you to read this link to read a little about intersectional feminism & why it isn’t so bad!
I’ll finish up by sharing one of my favourite short stories written by Sherman Alexie, titled What You Pawn I Will Redeem. I read it in another English literature course a couple years ago and it continues to influence me.
I’m looking forward to a great semester with all of you!
Until next time,
Julia
erikapaterson
January 15, 2016 — 1:11 pm
Hello Julia,
Welcome to our course of studies, I am looking forward to working together this semester. “What you Pawn” is a great short story that I have also enjoyed, thank you for sharing the link. Your blog looks great!
JuliaHofmann
January 17, 2016 — 3:38 pm
Thank you, Dr. Paterson. I am looking forward to being taught by you this semester!
Sierra Gale
January 16, 2016 — 3:02 pm
Julia, thank you so much for the link on intersectional feminism. I had not heard of that term before and after reading the article I was able to take away a few points that really resonated with me. One example was the author’s comment: “No matter what work you do or what your privileges are, take care to step back when things aren’t about you, educate yourself on things that don’t affect you, and pay attention when people speak to their experiences.” I have a feeling this advice might be very helpful to me throughout our course and beyond.
I also appreciate your willingness to fight through that ‘inner cringe’ feeling and identify yourself as a feminist in the face of potential judgement, if that’s what your heart tells you is right.
You mentioned that your identification as an intersectional feminist is one of the reasons you enrolled in this course. Is it to gain a better understanding of as many people’s perspectives of the world as you can that has motivated you?
I’m really excited to hear your thoughts on our readings and conversations as we continue the semester.
JuliaHofmann
January 17, 2016 — 3:36 pm
Hi Sierra,
Thank you so much for your comments! I’m so glad that I was able to teach you about intersectional feminism. I too like that portion of the article. Through my own education on social justice matters and feminism, I have been reminded (often through my mistakes) that listening and understanding is the best policy to topics I have never experienced first-hand. As a Canadian with a white-European background, I have privileges that others may not and it can take a while to unlearn things that stem from that privilege, such as speaking for other people when I don’t have any idea about what they’re going through.
To answer your question, I enrolled in this course both to gain a better understanding of others’ perspectives, histories, and cultures, as well as to be able to once again sit back and listen instead of making assumptions and “educated guesses” — which are fine in psychology and science, but have no place when conversing over the lives of people who have faced oppression and whose cultures and histories have been practically deleted! I do believe the trauma that comes out of the atrocities put on Aboriginal Canadians can be passed down generations. While science has not been able to fully confirm whether that can go down genetically (a phenomenon known as epigenetics – quite interesting if you have the time to check it out), attitudes and psychological trauma have a way of shaping generations just as profoundly.
I am speaking generally/across the board here, but here’s an example: say a parent has a severe depressive disorder (whether that has stemmed from their own traumas or their own default brain chemistry) and because of that they are unable to be fully attentive to their child. Depending on the child’s own personality, he/she/they could be adversely affected by the parent’s depression, which could give rise to permanent impacts on the child’s development — even into adulthood. Now, if that’s just one person, imagine the effects that trauma could have in an entire community across generations! I often hear opinions of friends and family that certain people just need to pick themselves off the ground, “grow up”, and change themselves, but from what I have learned in my own studies and experiences, it’s just not that simple. So, not only am I taking this course to help expand my belt as a Canadian feminist, but also as a Canadian psychology student!
I hope that answers your question. I’m looking forward to conversing with you more on these topics as the semester continues!
NatalieDee
January 17, 2016 — 9:09 pm
Hello!! As soon as I read ‘intersectional feminist,’ and ‘David Bowie,’ I knew that this was going to be a post I needed to comment on.
Just the other day I was trying to explain to a friend what intersectional feminism met (as an intersectional feminist myself) and I found it really hard to get into all the nuances of it and how it’s never as simple as black and white. That article you linked is incredibly helpful in explaining the finer points–I’ll be forwarding that to my friend without a doubt. I feel you on the whole ‘inner cringe’ thing, it’s something I’m working to distance myself from as well.
Having read Sherman Alexie’s book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (it’s a level below YA but an incredible read that anyone will be able to enjoy, if you haven’t already read it), I went to eagerly read the story by him you linked. It was what I expected from Alexie–poignant, humorous, and sorrowful all at the same time with his basic, straight-to-the-point style. I can’t help but think Rose of Sharon was an allusion to The Grapes of Wrath, which also dealt with the suffering of those who had been forced from their land, albeit under very different circumstances–during The Great Depression as opposed to the result of hundreds of years of colonialism. Although it’s an American story, it’s obviously still very relevant to the situation in Canada and I think paints a very candid picture of the realities faced by many and the consequences of colonialism.
Sorry for rambling on so much–that story really was incredible, thank you so much for sharing it!
JuliaHofmann
January 18, 2016 — 2:07 am
Hi Natalie!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that short story as well as the link on intersectional feminism! It is definitely a complex topic with no quick definition. The best way that a friend described it to me is, “a branch of feminism that takes into account race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, culture, etc and recognizes that not everyone can have the same priorities in their fight for freedom.” In 1st and 2nd wave feminisms it was very much about white, cisgendered and heterosexual women’s rights, so intersectional feminism is a way of including those who do not necessarily identify with being white or cis or hetero or female. It’s a way of tackling the various problems every person faces in the hands of the patriarchy and other problems. — but even all of *that* is a long explanation compared to the older definitions of, “Feminism is the fight for women’s rights.” So, I totally feel you on the struggle of defining intersectional feminism! If you want some more authors to read, I highly recommend Jessica Valenti – she is also very vocal on Twitter!
I also recommend taking GRSJ 224C with Dr. Kim Snowden if you’re able. I’m in her class right now and I am absolutely loving it!
I have heard of that book by Sherman Alexie and it is already on my never-ending list of “Books I Need to Read” — perhaps one day in the near future I will be able to read it! It is definitely being moved closer to the top of that list.
I’m looking forward to conversing with you more throughout the semester!