This text redefines the concept of marginality, challenging the conventional view that it is solely a site of powerlessness, pain, and deprivation to be escaped. Drawing from lived experiences of segregation, the discussion frames the margin as a vital, chosen site of creative resistance and a "profound edge" for developing alternative perspectives. By consciously choosing to exist in the margin rather than assimilating into the dominant cultural center, oppressed individuals can cultivate a unique worldview that sees society from both the outside in and the inside out. Ultimately, the text argues that maintaining this marginal space is a necessary strategy to avoid the colonization of the mind, protect the imagination, and foster a space of radical openness where genuine social transformation can begin.
Credit: bell hooks
Date: 2019
CCWESTT acknowledges that our greater science, engineering, trades and technology (or SETT) community is situated on the ceded and unceded traditional territories of First Nation, Inuit, and Métis peoples from coast to coast to coast in what is known as ‘Canada’. CCWESTT fervently believes SETT is enriched through collective relations and knowledge sharing and is committed to helping enhance and build these relations. Full land acknowledgement here.