The second session of our group was facilitated by Laurencia Saenz and Jonathan Nassim, and we discussed chapters 3 ("The Subject of White Complicity") and chapter 4 ("The Epistemology of Complicity: The Discourse of Not Knowing and Refusing to Know") of Barbara Applebaum's book. There were 17 people in the room, and 6 people online (including the Utrecht research group). The conversation was productive and we raised and discussed the following questions:
1. To what degree does language shape the position of the subject (in terms of inclusion, exclusion...)
2. How do we help people to agree (rather than disagree) from within their different language games and discourse structures?
3. Is Applebaum herself reproducing a white curriculum? (Most of the authors she cites are white.)
4. How can scholars of colour and white scholars work together to address the discomfort associated with pedagogies of race?
5. What does "bearing witness" entail and how might it be practiced in the classroom?
6. What is the role of intention in criticism? Can there be criticism without intention?
7. How can one spot strategies of disengagement, especially when voiced under the heading of "debate"? How can one respond to them? (Practical)
On the technical side of things, we seem to have ironed out some of the audio difficulties (with a new microphone). We also tried using a webcam – which was largely successful (though poor quality). There was some discussion about the pros and cons of invisible online attendees being able to see members of the group in the room – and this was partially solved by restricting the scope of the image so that group members could sit outside the field of vision if they wished.
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