"The traditional arra n ge m e n t
of the body we are talking about
d e e m p h a s i zes the reality that
p ro fe s s o rs are in the cl a s s ro o m
to offer something of ours e l ve s
to the students. The era s u re of
the body encourages us to think
t h at we are listening to neutra l ,
objective facts, facts that are not
p a rticular to who is sharing the
i n fo rm ation. We are invited to
t e a ch info rm ation as though it
does not emerge from bodies.
Significantly, those of us who
a re trying to critique biases in
the cl a s s room have been compelled to re t u rn to the body to
speak about ours e l ves as subjects in history. We are all subjects in history.
We must return ourselves to a
state of embodiment in order to
d e c o n s t ruct the way power has
been tra d i t i o n a l ly orch e s t rat e d
in the cl a s s ro o m , d e nying subj e c t ivity to some groups and
according it to others. By recognizing subjectivity and the limits
of identity, we disrupt that
o b j e c t i fi c ation that is so necessary in a culture of domination." - Bell Hooks