Tutorial Questions: Week 8

Reading – Wiggle Room by Sara Ahmed

1. Who is Sara Ahmed?
   
   – Independent feminist scholar and writer, until 2016 professor of Race and Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths University London, she works at the intersection of feminist, queer and race studies.
   
2. How does Ahmed begin the text? If you noted down the ‘sections’ of this piece of writing what would those sections cover or talk through?
   
   – Uses examples that are familiar.
   – gender, social space, family/relationships, race, will/wilfulness, sexual orientation.
   
3. How would you define ‘wiggle room’?
   
   – Space to push the boundaries and explore outside the expected, ‘outside of the box’.
   
4. She connects ‘wiggling’ with the will or wilfulness. How does she say that connection came about for her?
   
   – “If some have to be wilful just to be, some have to wiggle to create room. When a world does not accomodate how you are, when you appear wrong in some way, feeling wrong in your body, being wrong in your body, loving the wrong body, mourning a wronged body, you have to be less accomodating if you are to persist in being who you are being.”
   
5. Ahmed uses specific definitions of words and their historic uses as a way ‘in’ to an idea. Can you find an example of this?
   
   – Her explanation of the origins of the word queer, The word queer is derived from twerk – to twist or turn- and thwart – to transverse, perverse or cross…
   
6. What does she say is the difference between wiggling and wriggling?
   
   – Wriggle: Sinister, devious, potential to be disruptive, do not straighten themselves out
   – Wiggle: Turn and twist quickly, room for ways of being in our bodies
   
7. How would you describe Ahmed’s writing? Formal, personal, casual, etc?
   
   – Personal, fairly casual, relatable, she writes as if she is talking to a friend, you feel you know her.
   
8. What effect does this have on the reader (on you!)?
   
   – Makes you feel you know her, more relatable, invested and empathic response.
   
9. A too-small room is a key metaphor that Ahmed uses to talk about ‘wiggling’ – why might it be interesting to think of as spatial designers?
   
   – If you box yourself in and reduce room to wiggle you constrict yourself and the depth of your design. You need to be able to explore and dig and find new things to use as influence and inspiration to better understand and connect.
   
10. What else could be considered as a ‘space’ to wiggle within or what else could be considered something to wiggle ‘against’?
    
    – Set design briefs: The ability to push against set ideas and boundaries.
    – Cultural perceptions or anything that could be considered uncomfortable or challenging for people.
    
11. Ahmed references a number of other people’s texts – Who is Judith Butler? Who is Jane Bennett? Who is Eve Sedgwick?
    
    – Judith Butler: Philosopher and gender theorist. Influenced political philosophy, ethics and third-wave feminism, queer and literary theory.
    – Jane Bennett: Political theorist and philosopher.
    – Eve Sedgwick: Academic scholar of gender studies, queer theory (studies) and critical theory.
    
12. What are some words/phrases that Ahmed uses that you don’t understand? Note them down to bring up in tutorial.
    
    – Pedagogy (pg.3 last paragraph): Method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.