Women's Perspective of a Pedagogy of Encounter

Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB*

Introduction

I have always believed that meeting people is a learning experience. Whether one meets good or bad people, there is always something one learns from it. My experience of the women's movement is a very good example of this. If you ask women who are making a difference, who have put their mark in history, they will invariably tell you about the people, especially women in their lives, who have made them what they are. Of course not all meetings are encounters. It seems to me that for a meeting to be an encounter, some deep and lasting impression must have occurred�something that makes a person say: I can never be the same again. Encounter with people of other cultures, races, religions, etc. are so much more enriching because they open to us other worlds, new horizons, taking us out of our accustomed ways of believing, judging and acting. In this paper, I do not want to theorize on the matter but rather share two experiences of multi- or inter-cultural encounters among women that have enriched the lives of these women. I am involved in both of them.

I. Tara-Asian Forum for Women and Religion

Historical Background and Objectives

In 1995, I was invited to a conference on Women and Religion here in Chiang Mai held in one of the loveliest hotels I have ever been�the Suan Doi Hotel which is like a garden of Eden, full of trees and flowers. It was an apt setting for the encounter of fifteen women of different nationalities, ethnicities and religions. There were two Roman Catholic sisters from the Philippines, a Protestant woman bishop from Germany, a Buddhist nun from Taiwan, two Buddhist nuns from Sri Lanka, a Moslem scholar from Pakistan, a Hindu Tantric scholar from Delhi, a Buddhist nun from the United States, Buddhist lay women from Pakistan and Sri-Lanka, and a lay Catholic woman from the Philippines. We were assigned to make papers on a common theme. That was really a mind-blowing encounter. It is amazing how one theme could be looked at from different perspectives and from different angles. But what impressed me most besides the truly stimulating discussion was the personal bonding that came about not only in the sessions but through visiting the temples, shopping in the night market, eating at a Kantoke dinner. This personal bonding would deepen because every year for 6 years after that first meeting, the same women managed to come together to discuss other themes. Finally we felt we needed to have some structure and so formed ourselves into a research forum which we call TARA.

TARA is a research forum on issues of culture, women and religion. It aims to foster interfaith and interdisciplinary dialogue by highlighting the use and abuse of women and religion and culture, and reclaiming the positive role of women and feminine symbols in religious history.

It began in 1994 with a small group of women and men who were concerned about the subservient role of women in all major religions. In 1996, TARA evolved into a feminist �think tank" comprising Asian and international women scholars and activists engaged in multi-faith and interdisiciplinary research on women and religion. TARA has organized an annual symposium on different issues concerning women and religion in different countries: Thailand, Cambodia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. It has published five volumes of essays debating violence, sexuality, gender, and women�s historical role in various religious traditions. The most recent publication is Gendering the Spirit: Women, Religion and the Post-Colonial Response published by Zed Books, London.

Pedagogy of Encounter in TARA

What makes TARA unique is the fact that it consists of a core of 10 women of different ethnicities, nationalities, culture and religions. We have Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim members. Another unique thing is that the same core group of women meets every year for the last eight years, which gives not only continuity but also real sister bonding among them.

We usually meet in a place that is known to be a site related to a particular religious tradition: like Chiang Mai, Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Istanbul in Turkey, etc. There is usually a theme that is chosen and the women then write a paper on this theme from the perspective of their particular religious tradition, ethnicity and geographical location. These papers are discussed and are published into a book.

There has been a remarkable learning process that goes on during the sessions. Since each woman is a scholar in her own right, she shares a wealth of research and insight with the others. The discussion after each paper always sparkles with ideas, showing commonalities as well as divergence of opinions and positions, but always respectful of each one's perspectives. Since it is the same women meeting annually, it is a continuing dialogue that picks up threads of discussion left unresolved in previous encounters.

Aside from the very real intellectual benefit that is derived by the participants, there is an enviable relationship of sisterhood growing among the women. The interfaith dialogue is not only in the conceptual realm but also in the very spirituality that each woman lives. When we are together we meditate together, we celebrate ritual with each other and everyone is at ease in the interfaith atmosphere that these celebrations manage to create. Likewise personal tragedies are shared and somehow the women's compassion helps to heal these wounds. For example during our meeting in Istanbul, one of us just lost her husband and she was still in shock because she had tended the cancer-sick husband for 10 years and could not cope with her loss. Two women went out of their way to stay with her and to celebrate the one-month anniversary of her husband's death by looking for a church all over Istanbul and, finding one, the three conducted a sort of healing and letting go ceremony. It was only a few days ago being with this friend again and hearing her tell the story to other people that that healing ceremony was the beginning of her acceptance of her loss.
Another commonality among women is that they are social activists in their own country. They are committed to social justice and the cause of women. This makes the sisterhood not only in a personal level but also on a social level. We begin to understand more deeply the varied oppressions and forms of injustices suffered by the poor and the women in the different countries and we are able to give support to each other's cause.

II. Inter-Cultural Course on Women and Society

Another example of women's pedagogy of encounter in a more institutional setting is the Intercultural Course on Women and Society offered by the Institute of Women's Studies in Manila, Philippines.

Historical Background

In 1985, St. Scholastica's College started a Women's Studies Program. In 1988, it established an Institute of Women's Studies.

In the beginning, the Institute had the aim of: (i) providing new insights into the situation of women, through women�s studies, consciousness raising and education; (ii) disseminating new knowledge and interpretations concerning women through the college structure to students, faculty and the community-at-large by providing developmental courses on women; and (iii) introducing new perspectives, frameworks, and tools of analysis for studying the nature, roles, functions and status of women in family and society.

The Institute has been in operation for 12 years, serving and reaching out to numbers of women coming from different sectors. Having established a track record for the popularization of education on women's issues, it is considered a pioneer in women's studies in the Philippines and in Asia as a whole. The main offering of the training program of the Institute is the Intercultural Course for Women and Society.

Objectives of the Course

The Intercultural Course on Women and Society is a two-month (formerly three-month) live-in course designed to enhance the participant's awareness of self, gender discrimination and other forms of gender inequality, and specific feminist alternatives applicable to their communities and organizations.

The Course was initiated in 1989. So far, 12 such courses have been attended by nearly 200 women from all countries in Asia (with the exception of Laos). Eighteen women from different cultures live together to learn new concepts and theories, as well as the nuances of other Asian cultures. In the past, the course has also been attended by women from four Pacific countries, three countries in North America and Europe, and four countries from Africa.

Intense in terms of both content and process, the course seeks to provide a venue for women leaders to reflect on their experiences individually and collectively for a deeper understanding of the women's situation and issues in the Asia and Pacific context, towards mainstreaming gender perspective in their communities and organizations.

Specific Objectives

1. To provide a venue for sharing and learning among women by their living and studying together;

2. To enhance the participants� awareness of the women's situation, gender issues, and feminism in Asia and the Pacific;

3. To provide participants with practical knowledge and skills in addressing gender concerns at the personal and organizational levels;

4. To define a feminist agenda for education and development work;

5. To explore joint ventures towards strengthening solidarity and sisterhood; and

6. To contribute to intercultural understanding towards peace in Asia.

Course Modules

1. Current Women's Issues in Asia and the Pacific. This is a presentation of the national (political, economic and socio-cultural) situation, as well as women's conditions, initiatives and issues, in the different countries in both regions. This includes participants' sharing of life stories as women, exposure to the situation of women in the Philippines through a one-week immersion in urban and rural communities, and a discussion/reflection of the general situation and issues of women in different countries through the participants' country papers. [Submodules include Rivers of Life, Country Paper Presentations and Exposure.]

2. Feminist Theories and the Analysis of the Women Question and Women's Movement. This module includes theoretical analyses of the woman question (Liberal Feminism, Traditional Marxism, Radical Feminism, Socialist Feminism, Third World Feminism, Ecological Feminism, etc.) and critiques of these. This module also includes an open discussion about female and male sexuality as related to the social, political and cultural dimension of society. [Submodule: Women's Sexuality and Reproductive Rights.]

3. Gender Issues in Economic Development. This is a review of different economic models, the role of women in their societies' development efforts and a critique of prevailing development strategies and programs as they affect women. This also covers the attempts of women to participate in their countries' policy and decision-making and in planning appropriate technology. [Submodules: Women and Migration, Women and Ecology, Women and Law, and Women and Politics.]

4. Violence Against Women and Feminist Counseling. This includes a discussion on the different types of violence experienced by women. It also includes theories and myths surrounding violence against women to enhance participants' own counselling abilities and self-defense training.

5. Women and Religion. This includes an analysis of the oppressive as well as liberating aspects of religion concerning the woman question. It includes a survey of the agenda of renewal in church structures, teachings and practices toward women's equality and empowerment. [Submodules: Women and Asian Religions, Women and the Bible, Feminist Theology, and Women's Spirituality.]

6. Women and Culture. This is a study of the different ways women are portrayed in the arts, literature and media, and how other cultural norms and traditions contribute to or counter the problem of women's oppression. It also includes the impact of the dynamics of language on women's situation.

7. Feminist Research. This is a discussion on the principles and methods of research, with special attention given to the ethics of feminist research and to participatory or action research methods.

8. Feminist Education and Creative Pedagogy. This is a critique of mainstream education philosophies and content, and a presentation of women's alternatives. It includes concepts of gender-fair education and feminist popular education, as well as creative facilitation.

9. Women and Organizing. This is an examination of principles and methods of organizing women toward their empowerment. It includes lessons on more effective organizing and mobilization through the sharing of programs and campaigns of various women's groups and collectives.

10. Feminist Agenda and Action Planning. This is the drafting of feminist agenda and concrete plans for Asia and the Pacific by the participants based on their learnings from previous input.

Methodology-Pedagogy

The exposure program through visiting communities of women gives participants an understanding of the milieu in which they will live for three months and an appreciation of the problems, especially of the women, as well as the solutions that these women initiate. This is sometimes one of the most memorable experiences for the participants because they usually admire the courage of the women they meet and they learn through experience the strategies that the women use to solve their problems.

The river of life session, where each participant shares the most important events in her life, gives each participant an insight into the personal dynamics of each one. This is a very cathartic and healing session. It also gives a basis for the gelling of the group into a community. A personality dynamics session (Enneagram, for example) helps to deepen the understanding of the personality dynamics of each participant.

The country paper gives an understanding of the economic, political, social and religious context from where each participant comes and is helpful in seeing her and her problems in that context. It is especially helpful to understand the religious beliefs, cultural practices, and customs of the participants.

There were regular class sessions which were not confined to lectures but were highly participative. The very set-up of the session hall was conducive to participation. The women sat on the floor on a covered mattress with throw pillows around. We have found out that in such an informal, intimate setting, the women are able to share more deeply and in a relaxed manner. The rule was: there is no topic that cannot be discussed and all opinions are respected. Yet no one was obliged to believe in anything that one is not psychologically prepared for. But one had to be open and try to understand the opinion expressed by others.

One important feature of the course was the women's celebrations. Fe Labayen writes:

Following a tradition of Nursia, we came together on the Third Sunday of the month to celebrate the triumphs of women through history. We read Bible passages that recalled the victorious feats of anointed women and prayed to be blessed with the same God-given gifts for our own feminist mission. For even just a few hours, we were in communion with the spirits of our sisters of the ages, and were ourselves filled with renewed courage to carry on the mission of women's liberation. Feminists have reason to celebrate because they are free and because they believe that soon all women will be free.

Some celebrations were led by women of various faiths. This was another form of encounter where women shared each other�s rituals and prayers and gained an insight into each one's spirituality.

The most important pedagogical feature of the course is the living together of the participants. In an international conference lasting for a week, participants can so easily say, "We are friends forever" because in 5 days one can put one's best foot forward. But in our experience of the intercultural course, after two weeks the "honeymoon" is over and then all the irritating elements come out�personal, cultural, whatever. Then there is the necessity of understanding, adjusting, sometimes confronting the issue. For issues that affect the group there are "speak outs" where the issues are discussed in the whole group. However, private misunderstandings that affect only a few people are threshed out just among the affected participants.

A participant who made the Intercultural Course a subject of her doctoral dissertation writes:

Living together and sharing the ups and downs of everyday living as part of the IWS program, not only fostered sister-bonding among us, but was in itself a valuable source of learning about women. We stayed in the same living quarters, dined together, attended classes and field trips together, and at every opportunity discussed the lectures and events of the day with undiminished interest in the unfolding lessons about women. The arrangement made every moment an occasion for us to learn from one another's lives (just as we learned from other people's lives), which a traditional academic set-up would not otherwise have indulged us.

Impact of the Course on the Women

In the reunion-evaluations which we have made both in the countries of the participants and in the Philippines, we have seen that the Course has a significant impact in the lives of the women who participated in it. The first and foremost impact cited is personal: there is a self-confrontation, a discovery of the self, a heightened self-esteem and a boost in self-confidence. In their work, teachers said they became more creative and innovative in their teaching and therefore have more joy in their work and their students have expressed heightened interest in their classes. Women belonging to NGOs expressed that they are more systematic in their work. They have become more efficient and effective. And all have become much more committed to the women's cause. They value the friendships they have gained among the women who came from different countries, culture, religions and ethnicity. Some of them have forged life-long friendships and have kept in touch with one another through letters, e-mail and visits.

Here are some personal testimonies:

Jeong: "Now the Sisters (in the convent) and I do not just accept anything without analyzing it. We speak up; if the Church says something wrong about women, we reject it, we fight it."

Modine: "I know I have become a feminist. The experience gave me a strong personality; I am more independent. Many women consult me in informal settings and I teach them about gender relations and women's rights. And when I see that they are transformed into strong women with will power, I am very proud of them and, of course, myself. We work hand in hand on projects for women. Now I am not afraid to do something I am not supposed to do because I am a woman."

Assana: "After weighing the pros and cons, I decided I want to marry (Captain�) despite our religious differences and even against my parents' wishes. They were really shocked to see that I talked against their decision. But I did it for myself."

Olga: "I got so much energy and a new vision for the future! I definitely feel unafraid now to come forward and do what I believe is for the better status of women. I can't wait to share with them about the liberating things I have learned. With God leading us all, we can achieve much. He/She nurtures our feminist mission of love and equality. His/Her love will never fail to guide us."

Loggan: "I have had two meetings with the Mothers' Union. Many women attended. They know I came from a long training. I shared with them some of the things we learned about gender. In the next meeting many husbands came; they were curious. They pretended to bring something to their wives, or to talk to them, any excuse just so they could come around and listen. They listened outside. So while the men were there, I told the women in a loud voice: 'Let us not allow our husbands anymore to go underground! Let us have no more underground. They should be open and tell us everything.� The men hid behind the door. They were afraid, probably because the women are now strong-willed, very much involved in village activities."

Assana: "I am now working with kids, from three to six years old. Kids are the very first ones that we must change. One day, a boy said to me,' Teacher, I can do so many things, but girls cannot do them.' I told him, 'Look at me, you can't do what I do; I am a girl. If you give her a chance, that girl will do what you think she cannot do.' In the school there are some girls who are backward and they think it�s because they are girls. I encourage them to go forward; I teach them my experience, my own 'methods'. I think I am only a very little candle but when I grow older, I'll expand my work to make more kids and adults aware that discrimination is wrong."

I can truly say that the Intercultural Course for Women and Society which we have given since 1989 are real encounters for the women who participated in them because every one of them that I interviewed told me that after that course, "they were never the same again."

Conclusion

From these two examples of women's experience, the following elements appear to be important in making a mere meeting, course, or conference a real encounter:

THE PARTICIPANTS

1. A sense of personal security. Women who have a healthy self-esteem and therefore feel secure are the ones who seem to gain most from the Intercultural Course. Insecure people cannot really open up to other people because they are chronically suspicious of people's motives. They are very sensitive and easily offended and so their meeting with people are frequently painful, humiliating and non-productive. They are threatened by competence so they do not profit from other people's sharing of their gifts. They are so eager to please, they pretend to accept progressive ideas which they are actually not psychologically prepared for so these do not really become their own.

2. Genuine Openness. Participants in the Course and in the Tara sessions come from different countries, cultures and religion. There is thus a very rich opportunity for learning. But if one sticks to one's own beliefs, opinions and customs, one does not really maximize one's learning. I remember in one Intercultural Course, a woman whose father was a fundamentalist pastor was so shaken after the Woman and Religion module that she could not sleep that night. Later on during the evaluation she said she realized that she could identify herself with the insights expressed in the module. Another was shocked that there were two lesbians in the Course and almost went home after two weeks. However, after the Course, she expressed in the evaluation how grateful she was to have gotten to know the two women whom she experienced to be wonderfully sensitive and compassionate human beings.

3. Listening with the ear of the heart. It is amazing how much some participants miss during the sessions because they are so pre-occupied with their own convictions and opinions that they are not really listening during discussions but are already preparing their rebuttal of whatever is being said. Or some have selective perceptions and hear only what they want to hear. So they miss a lot. Those who can really listen and not forever interrupt people when they are speaking are able to see both sides of the question and thus usually show a very balanced view of the subject matter. People seek them out to share their concerns and they help very much in resolution of conflicts that may arise in the group.

4. Willingness to Share. There are those who are very ready to receive but are very reluctant to share their ideas, their opinions or their experiences. They may learn very much but their passivity does not contribute to the over-all discussion and thus deprive others of probably another view of the matter. When they develop more confidence as the course goes on, they may later share that one of the greatest learning they had in the course is learning to risk and to have the courage to show their vulnerability which is essential in any meaningful relationship.

5. Non-judgmental attitude. In every group there is always the know-it-all, the self-righteous, those with a pedagogical attitude � what we call in the convent the "universal novice mistress." These are those who have to correct everyone even if it is not their business to do so. They easily condemn others and think they are always right. These are those who learn least in the Course. It is those who have the humility to accept that they have so much to learn from others who benefit most from the Course. People feel at ease with them and they bring out the best in people.

THE FACILITATOR

In every course there is a process facilitator. A skilled facilitator can create an atmosphere that is truly conducive to learning. During conflict situation, her role is of utmost importance to bring about a positive resolution to the conflict.

THE VENUE

One of the most important elements in facilitating learning is a relaxed atmosphere. Participants always cite the informal arrangements in the room where women sit on the floor and take a relaxed position as a unique experience and facilitative of deep sharing, free-flowing discussion and receptivity to the input of the resource persons.

These are the two examples of feminist pedagogy of encounter I am involved with. When I read Robin Morgan's Global Sisterhood, I realized that there is no such thing. It is an ideal and a project to be realized. I believe that these two examples of women encounter are concrete realization of this ideal.

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* Sr. Mary John Mananzan is Executive Director of the Institute of Women's Studies, St. Scholastica's College and Coordinator of Asian Network for Women and Gender Studies in the Philippines.