Collaborative Poetic Inquiry as Micro-Resistance

Abstract

Two teachers explore conflicts at the intersection of their personal and professional identities in public university spaces, examining reconciliation of identities in dissonance using collaborative poetic inquiry. Normative expectations permeate the academy, defined in the United States through White, male, middle class, non-disabled, able-minded, heterosexual, and Christian values, requiring teachers operating outside of these frameworks to perform in ways which place them in contradiction. This article proposes a collaborative, experimental poetic process to reflect on marginalized aspects of identity, intellectualize power dynamics involved in workplace conflicts, explore dynamics of privilege-oppression, and assess which parts of identity to sustain and which to reconcile to enable coexistence. Suggestions for art teacher outliers include finding tertiary relationships, creating collaborative poetic assemblages to bring clarification to workplace conflicts, and creating opportunities to reposition oneself within new narratives. This research provides a space for all teachers to build resilience in education spaces.