Further Thoughts on Geographies of Resistance

After this past week’s discussion on geographies of resistance, I wanted to look more into the topic because I found it really interesting and I came across Olga Davis’ (1999) article “In the Kitchen: Transforming the Academy Through Safe Spaces of Resistance.” This article frames the African American kitchen legacy into one that can be applied to the modern world of academia. The goal of this is to “transform institutions of higher learning in ways similar to those their foremothers in the Southern plantation kitchens of the nineteenth century used to advance African American women's empowerment through self-definition while rejecting objectification as other” (Davis 1999, 364). In the beginning of class we briefly discussed this idea of the kitchen as a site of resistance when talking about the geographies of home. I like that through this article I got a more in-depth understanding of what this means and why it is important in the understanding of resistance geography and social justice. It also further instills that almost all of the themes in this class work together in some way — or have some connection to each other. Not only does this article have connection to our discussions on home but I also found a connection to our reading from Design Studio on spatial justice. When Davis (1999) says “The notion of safe spaces resonates with a womanist theoretical perspective which views the world (in this case, the academic world) as a dynamic place where the goal is not merely to survive or to fit in or to cope; but rather to feel ownership and accountability” (365), I think of the principles of “the rights to be, thrive, express and connect” (Design Studio for Social Intervention). The kitchen here is, historically, a way for African American women in the United States to gain these senses of identity during the time of slavery. Bringing this into the modern age, Davis suggests that this type of resistance can be brought into the world of academia to create change in racial and gendered structures that exist within it.

Article:

In the Kitchen: Transforming the Academy Through Safe Spaces of Resistance by Olga Idriss Davis

References:

Davis, Olga Idriss. “In the Kitchen: Transforming the Academy through Safe Spaces of Resistance.” Western Journal of Communication 63, no. 3 (1999): 364–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/10570319909374647. 

Design Studio for Social Intervention. Spatial Justice: A Frame for Reclaiming our Rights to Be, Thrive, Express, and Connect. Accessed at: http://ds4si.org/storage/SpatialJustice_ds4si.pdf.