“Daughter in law”, “Mother” or “The Self”: A Transformational Journey of an Oppressed Oppressor

Family conflicts could be leveraged as opportunities to conduct critical-dialectical discourse for fostering family members’ perspective transformation. In this Pecha Kucha session, I will be sharing the critical reflection of a woman who became conscious of how her uncritical obedience to the social norm had hindered her from freeing the “authentic self” in the format of dramatic monologue. The personal story provides a close examination of my mother’s disorienting dilemma when she found out that her long-affiliated identity as a perfect “daughter in law” and “mother” was no longer recognized since her family members condemned her dictatorial way of dealing with family relationships. Through collaborative discourse which integrating of interpersonal relations and connected knowing among family members, my mother finally realized how her old “self” was all about performing a socially recognizable role and acknowledged that she too has the freedom to refute the traditional system and construct a new power dynamic in family relationship.

Format: PechaKucha Session

Presenters:

Yilu Guo, Teachers College Columbia University, New York
Session Date & Time: Wed, 06 Apr 2022 | 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT