Though there were several noteworthy topics and issues of "feminist curiosity" discussed, there's a few that I think are particularly worthy of mention. As I'm sure was evident from my comments, I am very interested in the politics of authenticity. When I find myself thinking about this topic, there are more questions than there are answers, such as: What qualifies a person or group of persons to speak on behalf of someone else? What disqualifies someone from speaking on behalf to someone else? What role does allyship play in representation, advocacy, and authenticity? This is precisely the questions Linda Alcoff addresses in her piece, http://www.alcoff.com/content/speaothers.html
Secondly, I'm glad that Caron and I bonded on the issue of guilt, and discovered that its possible to use this guilt that we may feel (because of our privileged background, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc.) in constructive ways.
Lastly, though I didn't quite know how to respond, upon reflection I am glad that Sarai challenged my remark on "agency" with "you are never without agency!". Though I'm not sure that I agree, I think it's a good thing that the workshop was a "safe place" in which these perspectives could be voiced.
Lisa
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