((in)ter)dependence/Care
Care is a loaded term. It's being thrown around a lot these days in the arts and design sphere; everyone is talking about facilitation with care, curation with care, designing with care... The term 'care' has it's own difficult medical history. Especially for folks with disabilities, the associations with care and the medical-industrial system is often grim, riddled with abuse, and uneven power dynamics. The term cannot be simply tossed around (imho) without a sense of a dedication to it. But equally, because of its grim history, disability justice activists have often turned towards using interdependence instead to emphasize a world we can all work towards [1]. One in which relying on each other and building networks of care, is more important than independence.
(Un)availability
We live in a time where constant availability is expected, especially with social media. In Glitch Feminist Manifesto, Legacy uses AFK (away from keyboard) instead of IRL (in real life), because the the digital is as much a part of real life as the physical interactions we have are. But you are not given the option to be away from the keyboard or log off anymore. In working environments, it is stressed that it is your own responsibility to not reply outside of working hours. What has spoken to us is the line [a feminist server...] tries hard not to apologize when she is sometimes not available[2].
Check-ins
Within the ((in)ter)dependence editorial team, a lot of our conversations quickly turn in on themselves, and serve not only as a moment to exchange ideas related to the Special Issue, but also on how we can make this exchange pleasant and fruitful for us all. This week, when invited to write a Code of Conduct for our editorial team, we discussed check-ins, among other things. It turns out: we feel some anxiety surrounding these moments.
+ First off, we do appreciate the invitation of the check-in, the moment it creates to share and touch-base, as well as practice moments of care where the personal meets the political; + We see the value of this moment allowing us to update each other and the tutors with our work, signaling what would be useful for us to get out of this class, and what (individual) wants and needs there might be; + Besides, it allows for a moment to have opened our mouths. The first time in a day is often the hardest.
- But then, even when the intentions are right, these check-ins are a moment to perform. A performance that is often anxiety-inducing. For some, this might stem from a language barrier. For others, this might introduce difficult pressures in not having been able to do as much for the SI over the weekend as they had wanted to, or feel like was expected of them. Or for some, a third reason altoghether; - The 'moment to open your mouth' goes both ways: this moment can set a tone. If a pressure has been introduced, this might linger for the rest of the day.
~ Aside from practical updates, it can be useful to have a moment to give a personal update, as a way of getting that out of your system to allow for a better focus on the SI afterwards. Such a moment serves to express, not necessarily to be heard (particularly, to be heard by a large group of people).
It is unfortunate that this check-in, valuable and appreciate as it can be, can also become an obstacle. We discussed some alternatives, e.g. one-on-one check-ins, but no alternative yet has managed to tick all the boxes.