Alexis Pauline Gumbs: Echolocation as a practice of collective care
Nov 27, 2024
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In this enlightening conversation, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, a Queer Black feminist love evangelist and author, explores the rich insights gleaned from marine mammals' echolocation. She delves into the difference between colonial identification and kinship, emphasizing the importance of community and self-representation. Reflecting on Audre Lorde's legacy, Gumbs discusses survival as not just existence but as an invitation to thrive and connect. The dialogue weaves in poetry and communal care, all while celebrating ancestral connections and the transformative power of deep listening.
Echolocation serves as a metaphor for collective care, urging us to attune to our interconnected environment rather than follow a linear path.
Audre Lorde's legacy emphasizes the importance of expanding identities through personal narratives, fostering deeper connections and inclusivity within communities.
Deep dives
The Importance of Collective Survival
Survival is portrayed as a collective process, deeply ingrained in personal responsibility and community connection. The discussion emphasizes that survival should not be viewed merely as subsistence but rather as a broader concept that encompasses thriving and joy. It highlights that individual survival is interconnected with the collective experience of communities facing challenges, especially in the context of cultural and historical oppression. The speaker draws on Audre Lorde's work to illustrate that survival involves honoring the legacies of those who came before us while also recognizing the urgent need for unity in facing contemporary issues.
Echolocation as a Metaphor for Connection
Echolocation, a technique used by marine mammals, is discussed as a powerful metaphor for understanding and navigating our interconnected world. It encourages mindfulness and attunement to the vibrational environment around us rather than a linear push forward. This practice of listening and responding to our surroundings can enhance our relationships and guide our actions in a more thoughtful manner. By drawing parallels with social media and community interactions, the discussion reveals the importance of reflecting on how our communications reverberate back to us, which can shape future engagements.
Redefining Identification vs. Identification With
The difference between identification and identification with is explored in the context of colonial domination versus meaningful connection. Traditional identification processes, common in Western science, serve to categorize and control rather than to relate and understand. Looking beyond these binaries allows for a deeper kinship with other beings and an acknowledgment of relationality that transcends mere classification. This perspective fosters an ecology of understanding, where relationships become central to our experience rather than instruments of dominance.
Honoring Audre Lorde's Legacy
The legacy of Audre Lorde is discussed in terms of her multifaceted identities and how she introduced herself as an invitation for others to connect with their own identities. By embracing her multiplicities, Lorde created space for inclusivity and reflection in various contexts, teaching that identities should expand rather than limit our understanding of ourselves and others. The speaker underscores the significance of sharing personal narratives as a way to foster connection and communal awareness. Ultimately, Lorde's work serves as a blueprint for navigating the complexities of identity and connection in a way that honors both personal and shared histories.
What can we learn from marine mammals in their practices of echolocation? What is the difference between identification as a colonial tool of control and separation, versus identifying with as an invitation to expand and blur boundaries? And how do Audre Lorde’s poetic dreams of survival continue to reverberate during our times — helping us toreorient the ways that we show up for ourselves, for our communities and our planet?
In this episode, we are honored to welcome Alexis Pauline Gumbs, a Queer Black Feminist Love Evangelist, an aspirational cousin to all life, and the author of Undrowned and Survival is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde.
Join us in this heartwarming conversation as we explore lessons from marine mammals, teachings from the artful life of Audre Lorde, the significance of what it means to survive, and more.
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