The high, the low, and the intersectional

Through their discussion of theory, silences, and voice Virgie Tovar, hooks, Morales, and James Thomas Stevens all remind us that we must push against the constructed identities placed on QPOC by colonialism, and white supremacy. Tovar points out that this is particularly the case within academia when she states, “academia is a game of whiteness… you’ve got to figure out how to survive.” For her surviving has consisted of bridging high theory (frequently white academia) with low theory (pop culture/life experiences).  Bridging both worlds is crucial for buy in, for enlightened consciousness, for continued growth, and for liberation and healing. At the center for Tovar is knowledge for the common good. This is very similar to what hooks calls feminist researchers and activists to do in Teaching to Transgress. Melding high and low theory can be very powerful, especially if one is strategic. Take Tovar’s work for example. While she has been working on various issues around Fatphobia for years, she was very intentional about what particular subject she chooses to push into the public discourse. This has led to success for herself as well as to push the conversations forward on this important subject.

There is a connection often between those who call for us to bridge the high and the low, the academic and the lived, those who call for an intersectional framework, and those who want to connect and collaborate with others with similar mindsets. This is all interrelated, and often almost oppositional to the “white academy” where people steal ideas, where competition is bred, where knowledge is produced for the sake of knowledge but not for transformative change, where essentialism runs rampant. Why is this, and how can we change it?

I think Tovar gives a little insight to at least one part of the piece of the puzzle. She reminds QPOC that our stories and our theories are of value. That we must demand that they been seen as valuable. Morales works to illuminate voices, which have been held in silence, because they are important, because they are worth paying attention to. Similarly hooks has worked for years to bridge theory and praxis within her work, but is often regarded as not academic enough to be credible. Experiences of silencing and dismissing are not uncommon to marginalized voices. Yet, Tovar shows us that we must be fierce, that we must protect ourselves, and to do that me must demand that our voices be heard, we must demand that our time be acknowledged, we must demand to be seen as legitimate, and we must demand that our work be seen as valuable – we must demand to be paid for the work that we do, and not feel bad about it. I think this is a point that frequently gets ignored, and quite frankly makes many of us uncomfortable. But it is true that if we put a price to our work then it does have value, and people begin to see it as something of value.