Ahmed

Week 6 (4/18)

What

Righting Wrongs, Wronging Wrongs, and Restoration 

My connection to this Glossary of Haunting came through my involvement with restorative justice. In being a member of the Bryn Mawr College Honor Board, I was able to experience restorative justice in action. Instead of attempting to right wrongs, restorative justice aims to heal individuals and communities. This may not look the same as the "revenge" Tuck & Ree discuss, but it acknowledges the damage and hurt that have been caused, rather than attempting to ignore them. A restorative justice model may not work to heal years of colonialism and settelor violences, and not much may, but it is certainly an approach that can work for individuals with relationships that can be repaired and built upon. 

The Promise of Happiness is a provocative cultural critique of the imperative to be happy. It asks what follows when we make our desires and even our own happiness conditional on the happiness of others: “I just want you to be happy”; “I’m happy if you’re happy.” Combining philosophy and feminist cultural studies, Sara Ahmed reveals the affective and moral work performed by the “happiness duty,” the expectation that we will be made happy by taking part in that which is deemed good, and that by being happy ourselves, we will make others happy. Ahmed maintains that happiness is a promise that directs us toward certain life choices and away from others. Happiness is promised to those willing to live their lives in the right way.

In The Promise of Happiness, Sarah Ahmed talks a lot about how society has set up happiness as a trope and a goal, a thing that comes along with the attainment of capital and status. She points out that this conception of happiness really just sets people up for disappointment, as their gains in money, power, or status do not necessarily correlate to increased happiness. She reminds the readers that true happiness is found in moments and experiences, not in objects. It reminded me of a country song in which the singer proclaims that he knows money can't buy happiness, but "it can buy me a boat." It is clear from the lyrics that the singer does not equate owning the boat with happiness, but that he knows spending time on a boat is something that makes him happy. 

Field notes 03/25/16

What:

This week all children were on spring break, so I went to farm this Friday. In the beginning, we plucked out the weeds in the soil and raked the infield dirt.  I went to get some topsoil and spread them out on the field. Then, we planted some green beans in two rows with each of them 2 inches apart. Afterwards, one person was watering the field when I helped packed the soil to support the root and put away black bags. In the end, the teacher told us that we could stop by and get some veggies if we stay here in the summer.

So what: