Frozen Stories

Subject and Creating Space for Self Empowerment

Carmen Perillo

Privatization Privatization of Globalization Monetarism Managerialism(Commodification of Social

Services and Education Programs) Cindy Blackstock statement that we are still

living with Colonization and not Post Colonialism. We see its impact on certain groups but do not identify how it impacts us all in varying ways.

Why Frozen Stories & Objectification are now issues

Disassociation and/or neutralizing our power Lived Memories of Objectification and lack of

awareness of how contexts influence power, privilege, and oppression

Acting as though we are in living in Third Person Frozen Story- repeated pattern of Powerless

behaviour that is caused by unconscious feelings of objectification.

Story of the Teacher/HelperPower or Powerless

Objectification of students (funding units,

progressive language (talk and often no walk) Looked at it closely and found we as teachers

also objectified and don’t feel and own our power

Anti-Oppression Perspective without relationship based

Why Frozen Stories (and or Broken Stories)

• Identify where storyline is broken or frozen• Usually we approach it from a fresh start • Issue is to identify when the story breaks

(usually where you identify with objectification of other and feel powerless)

• Examples:• Diet and Monday or January that is not were it is

broken where do you start to feel powerless that is were you need to re-author

Rewriting the Perceived ending of the story to

unleashing healing

Boal’s theatre of the Unimagined (audience

into active participants) Paulo Fiere concepts of banking model,

objectification, subject, conscientization Decolonization of language and theory and

impact on teacher and student (thinking about thinking and making our own meaning)

Jim Ife and Managerialism Stephen Brookfield (Critical Incidents)

Theoretical Underpinnings

Conscientization + creation of meaning = action + change

He creates an analogy on his perception of

transformation by using Shakespeare Hamlet argues that theatre is like a mirror that

reflects our virtues and defects equally. Boal changes this quote to think of theatre as

a mirror in which one can reach in to change reality and to transform it

He directs us realize we are not powerless and we can change stories or not participate in maintaining an unequal system.

Boal

Recognizing and rewriting Frozen stories

(third to first person authorship or from object to subject)

Assess the dynamics within a context and identification of when it freezes

Intersecting of oppression is key and relationship with your role and context.

Act of conceptualizing and creating meaning is authoring and one method of decolonization.

Principles

Dynamic Interaction with person who from

a social location and context perspective has less power (role, type of power)

Your story is frozen where you feel powerless and other (s) are powerful and behave accordingly (i.e.. difficult student or client)

Context

Self and/or context unconsciously

identifying with imposed objectification

o Feeling like an object and instead of a subject

o old story that has become alive o Internalized oppressiono I.e.. Repeated critical incident types, I will start again, etc.

Unpacking Incident

We are disconnect from conscientization and

thinking about our own thinking (Freeze) Freezing are related to the feelings of

powerlessness and inability to see the situation clearly

Immobilization caused by limitation in conceptualization, imagination, and stuck by the reinforced false sense of loss of power

Are you creating narratives of you as a protagonist as

written as a victim in a third voice How does this explain how we contribute to the

authoring of institutionalized oppression and discrimination by not participating in transformation.

Rewrite it as a protagonist as the author written in first person story

.

Class project (80% students of colour) Students asked to identify critical incidents

that were patterns for them (stuck, not knowing why they can not act, etc.

Often when students wrote up story or incident it was in third person and talking as though they were neutralized or not there .

Implied limited space for changing stories

Why Racism

Identify when and where they felt powerless Intersecting oppression and context Ask them to rewrite their stories. One woman fearful of black youth (story)

Class project

The outcome it unleashed her from her own

objectification in that moment Where she could embrace her own aboriginal roots

and it allowed her to breakthrough her own frozen story

Fear was not about black youth but her false sense of safety by identifying with the predominate group

She finished her education , got a job and is more happily connected with her family.

Lead to Inclusion and breaking down resistance

Impact Of Unfreezing Story

As Teacher we get frozen by being in third

person and experiencing objectification because of a particular dynamic we help to maintain in a context (problem students, etc.)

Rewrite the ending and unfreeze Magnifying on intersecting oppression that

occurs for us. Challenge the processes that are creating our

own objectification contribute to space for our students to exercise their own power

Thoughts

Dreams Conceptualization and your own meaning Energy.

My Wish for you