((in)ter)dependence

((in)ter)dependence

To be inextricably linked, in a way that is impossible to disentangle. Because the term care has it difficult and violent history, interdependence arose as a term in the disability justice community to signal not just that they need to depend on (a social body, network of support, individual people) but that there are "structural conditions that shape gendered, racialized, and globalized care work."[1]

((in)ter)dependency tree

             interdependence
     inter ──┘             └── independence
in ──┘-------------------------┘          └── dependence

     ┌─────────────────────┐
    ─┴─           ─────────┴─────────        
( ( i n ) t e r ) d e p e n d e n c e
 ───────┬───────  ─────────┬─────────
        └──────────────────┘

inter

▚ Prefix: Used to form adjectives meaning "between or among the people, things, or places mentioned" ▞ 

┌ between; among; in the midst
│
├ reciprocal; reciprocally
│
├ located between
│
├ carried on between
│
├ occurring between
│
├ intervening
│
├ shared by, involving, or derived from two or more
│
├ between the limits of : within
│
└ existing between

in

░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░    ░                                                                                             ░ 
░    ░ <-- you are often not here ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░         ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░ outside
░ in ░ <-- isolated           └───but instead in the space ░ between ░ categories ░ ░ topologies ░ ░
░    ░ <-- apart from             ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░         ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░
░    ░ <-- inside of                                                                               ░
░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
 
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░
░            ░ ░           ░ ░     ░
the space between categories is erased
░            ░ ░           ░ ░     ░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░

independence

The state of wanting or being able to do things for yourself and make your own decisions, without help or influence from other people.

dependence

when you can't go about it on your own
                                    └┅when you need┅┅┅┅┅┅to lean on┅┅┅┅depend on┅┅┅┅rely on┅┅survive with
  ┏┅others┅┅loved ones┅┅strangers┅┅groups┅┅communities                                                                         
  ┇ 
  ┗┅resources┅┅material┅┅substantial┅┅substances┅┅help┅┅support┅┅mutual aid
     ┏┅immaterial structures┅┅coping mechanisms┅┅
     ┇
     ┗┅abstract systems┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┓
                ┇ ┇ ┇ ┇             of education                        
     of justice ┛ ┇ ┇ ┗ of support                          
        of health ┛ ┗ of care

Borderlands and Monsters

Monsters:

A monster occurs when an object refuses to be naturalized (Haraway 1992)

I'm struck by this sentence, because:
A monster could be:

• a plant brought into a region it is not native or indigenous to. And this plant cannot co-exist with the other plants, it either takes up all the resources or grows uncontrollably, or just refuses to grow. When it spreads around and was brought by humans intentionally, it becomes naturalized.

introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species...

• a person who asks a lot of questions when encountering how things are done here, and refuses to just accept the how but asks the why
• an immigrant living in this country for 5 years, who has in slight yet persistent ways, refused assimilation and the next step naturalization. Not learning the language, not participating in the culture, carving out a space for themself where your own culture could exist.

Borderlands:

a borderland occurs when two communities of practice coexist in one person (Anzaldúa 1987)

• When you have to code-switch
• When you use an entirely different language depending on the context you're in
• When you're split between what your day job needing you to use adobe while still trying to use free software in your downtime
• When you live on the hopscotch your way between on the border, between the lands, practices, communities and people who create them.

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 . 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.

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.

Communities of Practise

Appears in Misplaced Concretism and Concrete Situations: Feminism, Method, and Information Technology (Susan Leigh Star, 1994, find it here on the bootleg library), that builds on the concept from Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation (Lave and Wenger, 1992).

A community of practise...
    ... is composed of people and things, 
        themselves in ecological relation...> > > check ecological relations
    ... as a term emphasizes the ways in which people work together and act together to form communities
    ... is a way of talking about a linked web of actions, people, and artifacts

Objects in a community of practise...
    ... come to be only in the context and action and use
    ... exhibit a level of familiarity, 'taken-for-grantedness'
    ... are on a trajectory of naturalization 
                ─┬─────────────┬─────────────
                 │             └ the removal of contingencies of an object's creation and its situated nature 
                 │              [first computer rolls around and we're all Really aware of it but now smartphones are 
                 │               just a part of us, they have become naturalized, a part of our lives 
                 │               and the landscape, it's historical context is no longer that important]
                 └ it is not predetermined an object will ever become naturalized or how long it will remain so

People in a community of practise...
    ... are considered 'newcomer' 
        not through their relation with other people in the community
        but through their relation with the objects in the community
    ... are on a trajectory of membership
        ─────────────────────────────────
        (which ranges from illegitimate peripheral participation
                      to   full membership)
        that consists of a series of encounters with the objects in the community
        and increasingly being in a naturalized relationship with them

Ecological Relations

Those interactions that are analysed by Social ecology, the study of how individuals interact with and respond to the environment around them, and how these interactions affect society and the environment as a whole. So are those systems where ecological relations are highly taken into account those that have a deep interconnected connection between society, their members and the ecosystem that is formed around them?

We look at the text again, page 152. Editorial team member C is taking notes.
A: Could you break this question down?
B: which one?
A: 'So are ... around them?'
B: I googled: where [noisenoisenoise]
C: Sorry I missed it, the explanation
B: Me as well aaah
All: hahaha
B: Where people care a lot about building a good environment. Togetherness. Flexible in relationships.

So could it be that social-ecological systems are those that are more flexible? \can absord better turbolescences. Are they less vulnerable as systems, do they accept their vulnerabilities?

A: So those ecological systems are more flexible than other systems?
B: Yes?
A: The last question I don't fully understand, because it starts with a statement.
B: I found this piece that talked about social problems, vulnerabilities... Ecological means that as well, talking about vulnerabilities and care... I think I should write hours and hours to get a really good explanation.

In the text ecological relations emerge as the author describes her point of view of what information is, in the context of feminist method, and connected to the communities of practices.

So ecological relations within the communities of practice, communities where people work in cooperation to form groups

Digging into the meaning of the term "ecologically" we see how it can mean taking everything, every aspect of an outcome into account.

A: I really like the last sentence, 'how it can mean taking everything, every aspect of an outcome into account'. Maybe we can put it on top or somehow highlight it...

How does ((in)ter)dependence think of a feminist server

• A feminist server is a server that is equally a learning ground, in which the people who are a part of it are dedicated to each other and to learning with and from each other.

• A feminist server is one that also makes use of its idle time to dream, so not to have a life geared towards productivity and efficiency, but one where there is enough time to take a breather and actually imagine and dream of what an alternative could be.

• A feminist server as a shared digital place for information and communication with trusted people to gathering, supporting each other.

References

This is some text with a reference

Star, S. L. (1994). Misplaced Concretism and Concrete Situations: Feminism, Method, and Information Technology. In: Bowker, G. et al. (eds) Boundary objects and beyond: working with Leigh Star. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press
Haraway, Donna. 1992. “ The Promises of Monsters: A Regenerative Politics for Inappropriate/d Others .” In Cultural Studies, ed. Lawrence Grossberg, Cary Nelson, and Paula Treichler, 295 – 337. New York : Routledge.
Anzaldúa, Gloria. 1987. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza . San Francisco : Aunt Lute.
Fritsch, K., O’Connor, C. and Thompson, A.K. (eds) (2016) Keywords for radicals: the contested vocabulary of late-capitalist struggle. Chico, CA: AK Press.
[1] Kelly, Christine. Care, Keyword for radicals.
[2] A FEMINIST SERVER MANIFESTO 0.01. Feminist Server Summit.