Invaluable enmeshments in pedagogy: An autoethnography of an anthropologist in the classroom

Abstract

This article explores the enmeshments and vulnerabilities that emerge in undergraduate courses on gender and sexuality. In these classrooms students don’t just listen and learn, but seek to find the basis upon which they can not only speak about their own lives, but speak up against systems of violence that operate both globally and on campus. Through a series of stories that highlight issues of voice, representation, safety, and danger, I explore the limits of pedagogy in spaces where commitments to reflexivity, solidarity, and decolonization meet an earnest desire for better, safer lives. In particular, by exploring the issue of trigger warnings I raise questions about the kinds of pedagogical commitments we can make to students marginalized by structures of gender and sexuality.