An article by Linda Alcoff addresses the problem with speaking for others. My inquiry heavily revolves around decolonization of the education system, but as a non-Indigenous woman, am I able to speak on behalf of them? How can I speak for a community that I am not apart of?
Often the result of well-intentioned attempts to bring the voices of oppressed and marginalized groups into the conversation, when it comes to generating counter-discourses that challenge rather than extend existing constellations of power, “only those directly concerned can speak in a practical way on their own behalf” (Alcoff, Speaking for Others, pp.18).
To recognize that there is a problem with speaking for, or representing others, stems from two connected points. First, that a speaker’s location is significant and second, that certain privileged locations are discursively dangerous. According to Alcoff, both speaking about and speaking for others is problematic, namely because these both engage in the act of representing others. So how does one help, without contributing to the problem? Currently, this is where I’m at.