Our book club didn't read Feminist Pedagogy for Library Instruction by Maria T. Accardi, but some library school friends of mine and I did read it, and they emailed me their thoughts. I found them really interesting, and they said I could share with you here. So, here's their conversation:
Holiday:
In the beginning of Chapter 2, Maria talks about a student asking her for articles which “prove” that homosexuality is wrong. In response, Maria informs him that she is a homosexual. Can self-disclosure be a feminist act? How can we use self-disclosure as a way to advocate for social justice?
Side note -- Maria keeps a personal blog where she talks about deeply personal issues, such as her experience as a victim of child sexual abuse. She is a professional librarian in an academic setting, teaches classes, presents at conferences, publishes books, and interacts with patrons. I'd be worried about having private information on a public blog in the internet age where my employers and colleagues could find it...
I also started trying to read Pedagogy of the Oppressed because she references it so frequently in this book, but I had a hard time reading it. Paolo Freire writes in a very academic, sort of abstract way.
Laila:
I definitely think self-disclosure can be a feminist act. I think, like you mention, it can take a lot of bravery and a willingness to sacrifice some privacy (and potentially safety), but I think generally knowing someone who identifies a particular way or who has experienced a particular circumstance both helps the recipients of that information realize how they can connect with someone that they maybe wouldn't have been willing to before based on that identity/experience, and also to realize how common or widespread those identities/experiences can be.
I do think, though, that some people are really resistant to learning personal information about others, sometimes in general and sometimes depending on the circumstance. This makes me think of our BBW conversation about The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion about how many people feel really burdened by others' expressions of sadness, which makes being sad a really isolating experience. But to bring it back to Feminist Pedagogy, Accardi argues that it is feminist to value lived experience and one another's voices. So maybe those who agree with that or already identify as feminists would be receptive to others' self-disclosure; but then how can we get other people on board so that self-disclosure can be a more effective social justice tool?