When I started reading Tuck's Letter to Communities and the description of damaged-centered learning, what came up for me immediately was the way that we see non-profits a lot of times talk about how they need funding because they work with an "at-risk" population or youth "in-need". Using buzzwords like low-income, BIPOC, and inner-city. I hear youth-serving organizations talk about how they've swooped in and saved the day and that their main goal is to "keep them off the drugs and from getting pregnant" (an actual quote from a former boss). And I think Tuck talks about this when it comes to research really well. This idea that the way we (researchers, youth workers, community workers, etc.) talk about the community we're focused on is often in a way that shows all the negative things they've gone through, and while these are important and should be addressed I think it often generalizes and makes assumptions from an outsider perspective and takes away from the community.
Questions Tuck asks in their letter that I'll be taking with me
"What will be the outcomes and effects of this research in and on our communities?
Are we certain that the benefits will outweigh the costs?
What questions might we ask ourselves before we allow researcher entry?" pg. 410
Words new to my vocabulary
pathologizing analyses pg. 415
Depathologizing pg. 417
It was not surprising to read about these types of research process existing but it was nice having words to put it to, to understand it more other than deficit based language. It made me think about the effects of research and think more about what benefits and losses comes with research. These questions will also stick with me.
ReplyDeleteYes! And I want to dig even more into her desire based framework to be able to imagine what it looks like...
ReplyDeleteKelly I like your perspective on the reading especially when you highlighted how often generalizations can makes assumptions from an outsider perspective and takes away from the community. I feel like that is what the k-12 system has become when teachers make generalizations about students communities from an outside perspective never having truly implanting themselves in the communities they serve.
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