The cultural theorist Stuart Hall writes ‘identity is not a set of fixed attributes. The unchanging essence of the inner self, but a constantly shifting process of positioning. We tend to think of identity as taking us back to our roots, the part of us which remains essentially the same across time. In fact, identity is always a never-completed process of becoming – a process of shifting identifications, rather than a singular, complete, finished state of being.’ (2017, p.16).
Returning to Savage’s paper, Aesthetic Epistemologies (2022), through the lens of Hall’s writing, it was interesting to observe the great lengths the Mozambican students went through to readjust their identities within different academic, social, political, historical and geographical contexts. Firstly, they adopted the Russian curriculum, language, aesthetic tastes and socialist ideologies. Then on return, they had to reject these socialist ideologies and adopt Western neoliberalism in order to remain relevant to the new Mozambican political government.
Hall’s notions of ‘becoming and shifting identifications’ also remind me of our Year 1 BA Drawing students as they transition into the unfamiliar space of the university. Many find themselves in a vulnerable position, like the Mozambican students, undergoing a social displacement or feeling out of place particularly if they are from an underrepresented group or first-generation students. Vallerand notes that ‘at the individual level ‘belonging’ recognises students’ subjective feelings of relatedness or connectedness to the institution. This ‘involves feeling connected (or feeling that one belongs in a social milieu)’ (1997, p.300).
In Unit 1, I work with colleagues to establish an open-plan, communal studio, lead drawing workshops and group reflections to introduce the discipline, encourage peer learning and foster a sense of connectedness. For group activities we strategically place students in different groups each time to allow for social interactions with other students and staff. We also take into consideration shy or quiet students who would benefit from having a familiar face in such settings.
But belonging is a gradual process. I wonder how I might be able to sit with students in the discomfort. Palmer et al.’s (2009) study may offer an approach: inviting students to consider and identify their ‘turning points’ (experiences or events in the first six to eight weeks) or ‘critical threads’ (friendships and symbolic objects) that did or did not foster a sense of belonging. These reflections can help us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and I hope will lead to positive changes for next year’s cohort, enabling them to navigate this transition better.
Bibliography
Hall, S., & Schwarz, B. (2017). Familiar Stranger: A Life Between Two Islands. Duke University Press.
Vallerand, R.J. (1997) Toward a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In: Zanna, M.P. (ed.) Advances in experimental social psychology. New York: Academic Press, pp. 271–360.
Palmer, M., O’Kane, P., & Owens, M. (2009). Betwixt spaces: Student accounts of turning point experiences in the first-year transitions. Studies in Higher Education 34(1): 37-54. Routledge.
Savage, P. (2022). ‘The New Life’: Mozambican Art Students in the USSR, and the Aesthetic Epistemologies of Anti‐Colonial Solidarity. Art History, 45(5), pp.1078–1100. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8365.12692.