When I began blogging, just a few weeks ago, I intended to write about the process of writing and my recent readings. I also wanted to include my musings about some of my recent reads by Caribbean writers. A few months ago, when one of my students asked about Caribbean writers (none on the syllabus) it reminded me of my concern about the curricula we expose to our people.
I remember a lecture I attended earlier this year, with the topic centred on Education and the way forward. I was incensed, infuriated, a whole lot of ‘ins’ when I realized the positions held by many of the decision makers in education. I was livid when an audience member remarked that too much money was being spent on liberal arts and not enough on science and industry, which apparently was where the money lay; so we, developing nations should use these developed nations as models. What money? Where is the creative arts centre that we need here? What about the historical reality that current developed countries had an equally vibrant society of philosophers and artistes? Ancient societies had a similar structure; the lines between scientist, technician, administrator, philosopher and poet were blurred. My names-sake, Solon of Athens was an economist, logician, poet, administrator. Nowadays we compartmentalize abilities and argue which should take precedence. We devalue the ‘idle’ philosophers, forgetting that they laid out some principles of social organization that determine how we even proceed in science and industry.
A few years ago a colleague with a Phd in science asked me what was the point of post-graduate studies in Literature, that Literature produces nothing of substance, nothing quantifiable, nothing that could change the world or feed people. I felt that my colleague would have given me hemlock as punishment for my idleness. I’m fortunate to be blessed with a sense of conviction in my career choice, or else I could have been deeply offended. Instead I was saddened that our education system could produce one with the highest academic achievement possible, who is extremely parochial in one’s worldview. I could not answer my colleague; I was extremely embarrassed for said colleague.
Our writers are part of that heterogeneous group of thinkers which include scientists, religious, bureaucrats, economists and all others. Writers don’t provide solutions to our challenges but they should inspire us to feel, to think, to act. And that is the simplest practical application. I’m partial to the view that a writer, an artiste should never have to defend his relevance to society. By now society should know how much we need creative energies. An academic analysis of a creative work is not merely an intellectual exercise. It requires immersion into the works of art. It is akin to a spiritual exercise. And if that dimension is not your penchant, well then you can approach a creative work like a rigid logician. (I say that’s almost impossible, once you immerse yourself in another’s creativity, you are encountering spirit, or soul)
To diminish an academic analysis of literature would be to frown upon the very pursuit of knowledge in any field, be it science or theology. Consider analysis of the other humanities: film, photography, dance, music, culinary, art, fashion, sculpture and then we consider architecture and we’re right back to science, physical science, social science. See, inseparable.
But our education system unfortunately has compartmentalized humanities from science, made binaries of our living and learning. And that is why I see my career as a vocation, not, my former colleague, as idle banter. It behoves us to recognize the interconnectivity of all our academic pursuits.
So all that rant is to say, you can join me at the new blog I will be starting shortly. That will be to focus on Caribbean writers in a way that answers my student’s question. I have to say thank you to my fellow student for reminding me of the work that I have to, the work beyond the job. And yes I mean fellow student because I do believe that in the classroom, the labels ‘teacher’ and ‘student’ are just there to bring clarity to some activities that we’re obliged to do at some point; beyond these activities we are all students pursuing learning in different directions.
Namaste
I remember a lecture I attended earlier this year, with the topic centred on Education and the way forward. I was incensed, infuriated, a whole lot of ‘ins’ when I realized the positions held by many of the decision makers in education. I was livid when an audience member remarked that too much money was being spent on liberal arts and not enough on science and industry, which apparently was where the money lay; so we, developing nations should use these developed nations as models. What money? Where is the creative arts centre that we need here? What about the historical reality that current developed countries had an equally vibrant society of philosophers and artistes? Ancient societies had a similar structure; the lines between scientist, technician, administrator, philosopher and poet were blurred. My names-sake, Solon of Athens was an economist, logician, poet, administrator. Nowadays we compartmentalize abilities and argue which should take precedence. We devalue the ‘idle’ philosophers, forgetting that they laid out some principles of social organization that determine how we even proceed in science and industry.
A few years ago a colleague with a Phd in science asked me what was the point of post-graduate studies in Literature, that Literature produces nothing of substance, nothing quantifiable, nothing that could change the world or feed people. I felt that my colleague would have given me hemlock as punishment for my idleness. I’m fortunate to be blessed with a sense of conviction in my career choice, or else I could have been deeply offended. Instead I was saddened that our education system could produce one with the highest academic achievement possible, who is extremely parochial in one’s worldview. I could not answer my colleague; I was extremely embarrassed for said colleague.
Our writers are part of that heterogeneous group of thinkers which include scientists, religious, bureaucrats, economists and all others. Writers don’t provide solutions to our challenges but they should inspire us to feel, to think, to act. And that is the simplest practical application. I’m partial to the view that a writer, an artiste should never have to defend his relevance to society. By now society should know how much we need creative energies. An academic analysis of a creative work is not merely an intellectual exercise. It requires immersion into the works of art. It is akin to a spiritual exercise. And if that dimension is not your penchant, well then you can approach a creative work like a rigid logician. (I say that’s almost impossible, once you immerse yourself in another’s creativity, you are encountering spirit, or soul)
To diminish an academic analysis of literature would be to frown upon the very pursuit of knowledge in any field, be it science or theology. Consider analysis of the other humanities: film, photography, dance, music, culinary, art, fashion, sculpture and then we consider architecture and we’re right back to science, physical science, social science. See, inseparable.
But our education system unfortunately has compartmentalized humanities from science, made binaries of our living and learning. And that is why I see my career as a vocation, not, my former colleague, as idle banter. It behoves us to recognize the interconnectivity of all our academic pursuits.
So all that rant is to say, you can join me at the new blog I will be starting shortly. That will be to focus on Caribbean writers in a way that answers my student’s question. I have to say thank you to my fellow student for reminding me of the work that I have to, the work beyond the job. And yes I mean fellow student because I do believe that in the classroom, the labels ‘teacher’ and ‘student’ are just there to bring clarity to some activities that we’re obliged to do at some point; beyond these activities we are all students pursuing learning in different directions.
Namaste
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