From the Land of 10,000 lakes – CMW Revised
In the fall of 2019, the Queer and Feminist Theory: Collective Memory Work graduate class at the University of Minnesota had an opportunity to study and engage in the collective memory work process. Students wrote two rounds of stories to answer the question, “How is queerness constructed?”. During the first round, students followed Haug’s original method. Through the use of analysis, students sought out extensions and adaptations to the method to take into account intersectionality, how language is constructed outside of the Western context, and how people think of themselves in relation to the other. After the revision of the method, students wrote new stories and in the process, found their analysis more dynamic. This presentation will unpack this process, ending with the question that all students walked away from the class pondering: How does collective memory work further our shared commitment to put an end to oppression?