Integrating Alternate Perspectives into One’s Daily Practice and Identity

My participation in the MSVU Master’s Cohort has truly been a blessing. It has afforded me an incredible opportunity to explore Afrocentrism, critical race theory and the processes of continuous learning. I am interacting and learning within a collection of communities of practice that promote exciting and culturally relevant ideas, understandings and reifications. This new negotiation of meaning has real-life implications for the participants and the conversation about these emerging social constructs. Unfortunately, we’re only in this particular learning environment three times for a total of thirty hours over a span of three months. This is an insufficient amount of time to understand these important concepts which challenge current hegemonic paradigms and established negotiated meanings, applying a critical analysis to the world.

It has been my experience that when I leave the institution and participate in my collective continuum of communities of practice, these counter-theories are marginalized and indeed opposed by well-established reified conventions and shared agreements that have little tolerance for dissent. As I attempt to negotiate new meanings and understandings of social constructs, I am bombarded with scripts and narratives and imagistic-perceptual responses identity bearing beliefs, which fail to validate this philosophical shift. It has been difficult integrating this knowledge and perspective into my individual identity in a practical and sustained way.

As Bracher states, “ The most fundamental need is the need for recognition, the need to be validated, or at least acknowledged, taken into account, by others”.  I only have a very limited number of individuals and communities of practice where I can  attempt to engage in meaningful conversations about by new learning experiences. My most significant relationships extended family and friends aren’t afforded regular opportunities to participate in socio-political debate except in very superficial ways. For a host of reasons, there are only limited opportunities to ‘get together’ where important discussions about race and ethnicity, power and privilege or community involvement take place. When you can’t derive support and validation for new ideas that are directly related to the Afrikan/African Nova Scotian community from the most important influences in your life, it makes it much more difficult to integrate these concepts into one’s life. Even worse, individuals can be critical of change because it threatens their identity and individual belief system. A family member recently told me not to get ‘all Malcolm X on them’ after I asserted that African Nova Scotian professionals have a responsibility to find ways to contribute to our community(i.e provide leadership or participate in volunteerism). Additionally, Corrections Service Canada, the organization where I’ve worked for the part eleven years, is a highly hierarchal collection of communities of practice with an inordinate level of reification and limited participation by individuals. The individuals who comprise my personal workplace are not receptive to new ideas and are not familiar with Afrocentrism, communities of practice theory or contemporary critical race theory. I have been interacting within this institution on a daily basis for seven hours for five days a week for the last decade; and for the foreseeable future.

Crash(2004) by Paul Haggis: Observations and Analysis

I remember watching Crash almost ten years ago and focusing on the portrayal of Afrikan peoples in film and thinking about the insidious and toxic effects of a racist, classist, sexist system. However, when I watched it for a second time with the cohort, after almost a decade of experiences and several hours of group discussion about Wenger’s concepts of participation, reification, negotiating meaning and communities of practice, it was a through a very different lens. The movie seemed to bring Wenger’s concepts to life through practical situations that everyone could relate to. Characters assumed varying roles depending on the community of practice they were engaged or they altered their behaviour because of experiences/new negotiated meanings of the world: carjacker and Good Samaritan; good cop and bad cop; racist bitch and vulnerable wife; perceived gang-banger and loving father, etc.

One scene that sparked a lot of debate was the argument between the City Prosecutor and his wife over the Hispanic locksmith after their vehicle was carjacked. Many in the class felt that the young Hispanic man was part of the community of practice although he was not directly participating in the conversation while others thought that his mere presence, because he was the topic of discussion, was a form of participation. I personally believe that he wasn’t part of the community of practice because he was not involved in a joint enterprise with the other actors. What I found most interesting though, was that I believe the debate furthered the class’ understanding of negotiating meaning, joint enterprises, boundaries and boundary objects; understanding Wenger’s concepts through collective participation and reification within the group.

An interesting dynamic was revealed during the conversation between the African American LAPD sergeant and young police officer who reported his senior officer’s racist and inappropriate behaviour and requested a new partner. Our small group discussion touched on the sergeant’s response and his potential thinking when confronted with a racist police officer within a police department which included a network of hierarchal, insular and racist communities of practice. He faced a highly formalized institution with clearly demarcated communities of power and privilege, collective understandings and agreements and ever-present examples of reification. A skewed system with very little tolerance for dissent or non-compliance with well-established negotiated meanings, codes of conduct and expected norms. This character would be faced with a herculean task if he decided to pursue redress for the reported misconduct. It was obvious that he learned to adapt and function within the oppressive system and that he understood his precarious position and semi-legitimate peripheral acceptance and participation.

The young African American carjacker portrayed by rap star Ludacris was a complicated character who demonstrated the insidious effects of racism and social marginalization. I believe that his pro-Black worldview was a product of his experiences as a young African-American male shaped through a myriad of oppressive social experiences, exposure to a continuum reified symbols of white power and privilege and participation in a network of communities of practice that invalidated his individual and collective identity. He constantly questioned generally accepted negotiated meanings of race, class and power and attempted to ‘educate’ his African American friend(negotiate new meanings) about the destructive effects of systemic racism during their joint enterprises of crime and redemptive deeds.  He possessed a very narrow and uncompromising belief system at the beginning of the film but began to question his ideology because of circumstance and interactions with others.  I could closely identify with this character. I struggled to make sense of my position in the world as a young Afrikan person with an emerging understanding of systemic inequalities. This created resentment, ambivalence, frustration and a clear polarization of race politics – it was us against them. However, as I have matured and experienced life, my personal philosophy has came more rounded. I am of the opinion that Ludacris’ character underwent a similar ideological transformation during the movie.

The movie provided a clear and valuable illustration that participation in communities of practice, both positive and negative, significantly influences people and their identity and that the ‘crash’ of variant communities of practice always has individual and societal consequences. It was also a great example of the deleterious effects of boundaries, hierarchal power and the exclusive nature of communities of practice.  People move through an ever-changing collection of communities of practice and boundaries and negotiate meanings about themselves and the world through their interactions with others. Crash was a great complement to Wenger and an excellent learning tool. It is unfortunate that all Canadians couldn’t watch it with the same critical analysis.....

The Afrocentric Cohort – A Practical Analysis of Wenger’s Social Learning Theory

As the cohort discussed our individual understandings of Wenger’s concepts from previous lecture and the assigned readings, we challenged, questioned and ultimately furthered our grasp of his theory of social learning. We, in my mind, epitomized one of the fundamental pillars of Wenger’s philosophy that learning takes through a connection of interactions and understandings with others within a continuum of variant communities of practice. The class has created a collective of ever-changing communities of practice that are fostering cooperative learning with common understandings through personal and educative related joint enterprises. However, we also discussed its limitations in relation to the Afrikan/African Nova Scotian reality.

The class acted like a community of practice and in doing so, we gained insight into the negotiation of meaning within a group/community of practice. Prior to attending class on Friday, I believe there was a genuine sense of disconnectedness and confusion with the course material and the required Blog assignments. I experienced frustration with Wenger’s writing style and struggled to make sense of his foreign theoretical ideas of social learning through communities of practice. A number of other class members echoed similar experiences and difficulties through conversations and on-line correspondence. However, as we discussed Wenger and collectively negotiated meanings about its tenets and applications, the group seemed to obtain a much clearer understanding of the general framework and ideology. It also generated interesting discussion about its practical relevance and the parallels/disparities with Afrocentrism.

Individuals asked introspective questions and Professor Plump provided practical examples and interesting discussion points that illuminated the somewhat abstract and novel theory. This created lively debate and collective learning through our participation and personal observations. The small group discussion(or interconnected communities of practice) also created important opportunities to negotiate new meanings about Wenger, power and oppression and to identify its limitations and shortcomings. One particular group member with a firm grasp of Wenger’s concepts acted as a broker of information and helped shape the group discussion and assisted me in developing my personal understanding of the subject matter and, in particular, the dynamic nature of communities of practice. The class also reaffirmed the idea that all participants(leaner and professor, learner and learner, learner and collateral contacts) benefit from learning. Just as the cohort investigates social learning with a specific African-centered focus within the formal processes and confines of our post-secondary education system; Dr. Plumb gains insight from experts in the Afrikan experience and benefits from our perspectives regarding Afrocentrism  and contemporary ‘Black thought’ from a diverse group of individuals.

 I believe most members of the cohort are seeking practical tools to integrate onto our ongoing investigation of Afrocentric theory and continuous learning. Wenger’s theory is lacking in this regard but the class discussion provides a unique opportunity to negotiate new meanings and broaden its potential implications and relevance for the Afrikan community. Unfortunately, this appears to be an unexplored area of investigation and analysis. Additionally, the class is isolated in a host of different ways(racially, physically, socially, etc) and there is little opportunity to  continue the discussion about Wenger’s interesting ideas. We leave class and apart from internal analysis there are virtually no opportunities to revisit this alternate theory or engage in meaningful dialogue. After leaving class on Saturday, I felt I better understood Wenger and could apply a new analysis of human interactions and social learning. However, it quickly loses clarity in my mind as I revert back to what I know - which is more comfortable and familiar. The process of negotiating meaning and reification within defined communities of practice  such as Wenger’s institutional study of claims processing are fostered through regular interactions, experiences, symbols and examples that affirm common agreements and understandings. This is a considerable obstacle to contemporary African Canadians, social groups and movements(especially those for based outside of Halifax City proper) that seek to challenge current systemic issues and continue to pursue inclusion and equality of opportunity. The traditional African Nova Scotian community is changing dramatically and like-minded, progressive communities of practice are limited and disparate and require collective effort and commitment. When I remember my involvement as university student within active social action group, my developing ideas of the world were affirmed through my daily interactions with other students, faculty, community members and family. Cultural politics seemed to permeate everyday conversation in the late 80’s and early 90’s: Hip Hop culture; the Rodney King case and Los Angeles race riots; South Africa and Nelson Mendela’s release from prison; the Central Park Jogger case; and David Duke’s campaign for Governor.

Internal Conflict within Communities of Practice

We belong to various communities of practice throughout our lives. Many of these diverse communities of practice are in conflict with one another and create internal debate and practical implications within our lives. Everyone must address this conflict, however visible minorities, or more specifically, Afrikans throughout the Diaspora are constantly negotiating these divergent communities because of oppression and our marginalized position in society.

I am an assistant coach of a high school basketball team. Last weekend my wife and I had dinner with the head coach, a white man, and his partner at our residence. After a great meal and several cocktails our discussion turned to an incident last year when a young African Nova Scotian player from an opposing team posted some disparaging remarks about some of our players (the team is all white except my daughter) on-line prior to a tournament. This ultimately resulted in involvement by both school administrations and the NSSAF, the provincial governing sports body and it created hard feelings between the teams, coaches and parents. I knew this young player and her parents from my daughter’s previous involvement at the Community YMCA and other provincial basketball programs. She is a wonderful young woman and gifted athlete – a direct result of her parenting. In my mind, she simply demonstrated poor decision-making as all young people do in their maturation process. Throughout the incident last year and every time I have see her or her parents moving forward, I gave them daps, talked to her about her future and supported her play on the court. The coach took issue with my actions and asserted that I was being hypocritical as a coach of our basketball program. I, in turn became defensive, and indicated that although I disagreed with her actions, she was a young African Nova Scotian and that I believed it was my responsibility as one of the few African Nova Scotian coaches in the province and a positive male figure, to make contact with all African Nova Scotian players and to verbalize my ongoing support. Additionally, I stated that because of who I was and what I believed in, my commitment to the African Nova Scotian community easily superceded my involvement with the basketball program. I genuinely care about my players and was upset about the incident but believe I have an obligation to the Afrikan community that trumps all other responsibilities outside of my family.

This conversation generated a lot of internal debate about conflicting communities of practice and identity. It demonstrated that although we all belong to various communities there is overlap, tension and disparities that create demarcations and choices which reflect what believe we in. Wenger discusses the concept of diversity within communities of practice and asserts” that mutual engagement is a kind of community that does not entail homogeneity. He also posits that a community of practice is neither a haven for togetherness nor an island of intimacy insulated from political and social relations.” (Wenger, 75) The head coach and I have very different belief systems and perspectives about race that color our view of the team and any obligations to team members vs members of the African Nova Scotian community. We consider ourselves a coaching unit and the players, coaches, parents, administration, opponents create a community of practice and not only are there disparities about basketball related issues but we enter this community with differing experiences and histories. I believe that everyone present during the conversation benefited from the spirited dispute and that these types of interactions contribute to the history and future of the community of practice.

This is nothing new to African Nova Scotians because we have been required to function in both our cultural communities and broader societal contexts. All people must negotiate this conflict but visible minorities within Canadian society are enculturated to manage this as a function of integration. I am only beginning to understand Wenger’s theory of learning and I anxiously await further classroom debate about this issue during our next scheduled lectures but the readings present some interesting ideas about how we learn and our interactions with others and it seems to have parallels with Afrocentrism and Nguzo Saba such as community, collective responsibility and participation and shared history.

Understanding Wenger’s Theory of ‘Communities of Practice’

Understanding Wenger’s Theory of ‘Communities of Practice’

Our first Master’s course – Introduction to Lifelong Learning , provided an overview of the foundations of Lifelong Learning with a concentration on Afrocentrism and race. The class was encouraged to integrate and analyze personal experiences in relation to continuous learning and race in contemporary Canadian society and the lager global community. I was familiar with these fundamental concepts and easily related to the subject matter and classroom discussion.

Lifelong Learning Processes seeks to expand on these fundamental paradigms and social constructs through the exploration of theoretical concepts and processes of learning. The initial seminar introduced the class to Wenger and his theory of learning which asserts that “engagement in social practice is the fundamental process by which we learn and so become who we are or, more succinctly  that, learning is a process of social participation” (Introduction, Wenger). The lecture and subsequent classroom discussion focused on the negotiation of boundaries between communities, the exclusivity of communities of practice, the shared history of learning and the organic nature of communities of practice.

The film Black Candle provided a practical example of a community of practice that the class could relate to. There was a defined community of practice with a shared history and clear boundaries; there were benefits and some identified negatives associated with the membership; and individuals shaped the community of practice through their ongoing participation while being influenced by their experience. As stated in the previous blog posting, the film left a lasting impression on me and truly resonated with me in a very visceral way. However I was unable to make clear connections between the subject matter and Wenger’s concept of communities of practice. In a word – I was overwhelmed.

I began developing a better understanding of Wenger’s theory and became more comfortable about the course material and assignments through some informal conversations with fellow classmates who affirmed some of my frustrations. Reviewing other blog postings has also provided invaluable insight and helped me form connections to my personal perspectives on race, community and individual/collective identity. The postings were interesting and diverse and broadened my understanding about the type of topics that could be discussed on-line.

The assigned readings from Communities of Practice offer a broad conceptual framework of Wenger’s theory and his basic assumptions about learning. He describes individuals as active participants in learning who engage in and, in turn, contribute to these communities of practice. “Collective learning results in practices that reflect both the pursuit of our enterprises and the attendant social relations”(p.45, Wenger). This parallels my understanding of lifelong learning as an experiential process that takes place through formal and informal mechanisms and interactions with others where individuals are both teachers and learners. Wenger clearly describes his theory through the Vignettes - ‘Welcome to Claims Processing’ and ‘C,F,and  J Thing’. In a conversation with a fellow student we discussed making personal linkages to the readings. For example, the African Nova Scotian community was largely marginalized in the public school system until the mid-twentieth century. Consequently, learning was obtained largely through informal means. Wenger would assert that African Nova Scotians comprised a unique community of practice that developed practices, a collective identity, norms, beliefs and learning tools to confront the effects of segregation and create alternative learning opportunities.  This community of practice interacted with others( legal system, government - education system, etc.) which ultimately resulted in integration. In thinking about a community of practice in this regard, in addition to the vignettes and its ideological underpinnings, it was much easier to understand Wenger’s thinking.

I like Wenger’s theory of communities of practice because of its fluid nature. We are all members of various communities with shared histories and clearly demarcated boundaries. As members of these communities we interact with others and through our interactions alter these collectives. We also enter, participate and leave communities as we move through life. According to Wenger, “participation refers to local events of engagement in certain activities with certain people but to a more encompassing process of being active participants in the practices of social communities and constructing identities in relation to these communities”. (p. 4, Wenger). Through these interactions  – we learn and develop meaning of our lives.

The Black Candle: Kwanzaa and the Seven Principles o Nguzo Saba

The film The Black Candle highlighted Kwanzaa as an African American inspired celebration of ‘Blackness’ and Afrikan culture. Mr. Asante created a thought-provoking and uplifting documentary that chronicles the historical context and development of the global celebration. However, more importantly, the production provided insight into the valuable and transferable principles of Nguzo Saba and their relevant applications for Afrikans and all peoples in contemporary society. I consider this work a valuable tool for discussing current issues facing the Afrikan community and all marginalized groups through its novel use of history, commentary, spoken word and positive images and in my humble opinion, engaging works like this should be part of the high school curriculum. The subsequent classroom discussion regarding the film was also very lively and generated valuable cultural links to continuous learning and individual/communal identity. I found it interesting to listen to other student’s positive and negative perspectives on the holiday and the ensuing debate about its general practicality and relevance. It was obvious that some individuals embraced the unique celebration of family, community and culture while others viewed it as a meaningless social and cultural construct.

Growing up in a small African Nova Scotian community outside of Metro, Kwanzaa was never part of the holidays. In fact, I was first introduced to Kwanzaa as a university student at Dalhousie University through a collective of students committed to cultural awareness, community development and social justice. However, I did not fully grasp its purpose, relevance and potential value for Afrikan peoples until almost a decade later when I was re-acquainted with it as a Regional Educator for the Black Educators Association and was involved in creating several communal Kwanzaa celebrations in Truro. Unfortunately, the activities were always singular and sporadic events that were never well-attended or recognized regardless of the efforts to get the community involved. Still, I have observed a general reverence for the values of Nguzo Saba within the conscious African Nova Scotian community regardless of whether individuals adopt the formal post-Christmas celebration.

According to Maulana Karenga, “There is no way to understand and appreciate the meaning and message of Kwanzaa without understanding and appreciating its profound and pervasive concern for values”( http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml  ). The Nguzo Saba provide the fundamental underpinnings of Kwanzaa but are broader concepts that are relevant to all peoples. The film describes how the principles can be actualized and integrated into our daily lives and the collective struggle against oppression. I have known what the principles represent for some time. However, the way that they were presented in the documentary resonated with me in a very personal way. I now have them posted on a bulletin board in my office and try to refer to them daily. These principles can be widely utilized as a valuable organizational/communal checklist, as a personal affirmation or as general guideline for community development. They highlight the ‘collectiveness’ of community and are ideals that Afrikans and all peoples should attempt to  embody in their everyday lives. They are intrinsically critical of the hegemonic beliefs of the dominant culture and seek to empower and refocus individuals within a unique and marginalized community of practice. They can help us define who we are as a community.

The principles of Nguzo Saba are also in-line with our developing understanding of lifelong learning obtained through the classroom discussion, course assignments and required readings. All of the underlying values can be applied to continuous learning and I would suggest that both our formal and informal modes of education would look very different if they reflected these ideals. How we teach, what we teach and the goals of learning would all be radically altered. Every learner would become the central, active participant in their own learning; they would determine the pace and direction of learning and they would engage in genuine socio-economic and political discourse. Consider the values and belief systems we would cultivate and the type of society we would create for ourselves...

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