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.