Working with Aggression in our Activism

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Working with Aggression in our Activism

• Contributions of Feminist Psychoanalysis
  Feminist Ethics
• Anika Meckesheimer Barbara Williams
• AWID Forum 2008

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Goals Purpose of this Session

• Present ideas from feminist psychoanalysis and
  feminist ethics about aggression ethics
• Explore effects of aggression on our relations in
  organizations and movements
• Support autonomy in meaning making
• Stimulate ideas for building new ways of working
  together

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Overview of the Agenda

• Introductions
• Method
• Input on feminist ethics
• Input on aggression
• Discussion in small groups and plenary
• What we can do differently

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Method

• Mindmapping and the building of knowledge
• Rhizome figure (Deleuze/Guattari)
• -connect and interrelate dimensions of
  aggression
• - identify shared understandings and differences
  
• Recognition of difference in building
  relationality
• Focus on thinking and sharing experience

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Method

• Mindmapping and the building of knowledge
• Rhizome figure (Deleuze/Guattari)
• -connect and interrelate dimensions of
  aggression
• - identify shared understandings and differences
  
• Recognition of difference in building
  relationality
• Focus on thinking and sharing experience

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Introductions

• Who we are
• Who you are
• In your group
• Name, affiliation (organization, group), country
• Words or images you associate with aggression
• Words or images to capture how aggression effects
  your work

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 Feminist Ethics as method   

• Ethics as Philosophy of Practice
• How shall we act to achieve a good life?
• Feminist thought on ethics as model of
  questioning,
• based on situatedness

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Situatedness

• Perspective
• Who how thinks we should act?  
• Focus
• Who puts the focus on which kind of aspects of
  life?
• Who is naming, signifying, creating new cultures?

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Analysis of classical discourse

• Examples of classical disciplines
• Descriptive ethics
• Normative ethics
• Ethical codes
• There cannot be a universalist ethics,
• Certain aspects might only be seen from certain
  perspectives

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Ethics of care

• Carol Gilligan (1982) In a Different Voice
• Kohlbergs Dilemma presented to boys AND girls
• Ethics of pleasure
• Graciela Hierro, Mexico UNAM (2001)

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Foucault on Ethics

• Ethics as relationship with oneself (1984)
• Ethics life as a work of art
• Based on a critical analysis of social discourse
  as tools for understanding ones own ways of
  acting
• Feminist ethical thought for creating references
  and guidelines

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AggressionThinkers

• Freud
• Post-Freudians
• Winnicott, Lacan
• Feminist psychoanalytic thinkers
• Kristeva, Benjamin, Fernández
• Silkenbäumer
• Bion

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Thoughts on Aggression

• Aggression as drive and instinct
• A negative force to be contained and constrained
• A destructive impulse
• Aggression as positive energy
• for differentiation, autonomy creativity

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Images

• Fists
• Blood
• Words
• Tears

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ActsSystemic, Interpersonal/group, Intra-psychic

• Hatred
• Violence
• Hostility
• Violation
• Threats
• Exclusions
• Anger
• Apathy
• Creativity
• Assertion
• Refusals

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How Aggression Effects our Activisms

• How can aggression impede and/or help our
  activism?

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Possibilities

• Discussion
• How can we deal with aggression to
  strengthen/deepen/help our activism?
• Which are constructive forms of/ constructive
  experiences with aggression?

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• Many thanks!