The Aspects: Pandemic Inspired Vocabulary

This one was more difficult to write than the others. In a truly meta way it was because of many aspects. Finding the mental space to think it through. Harnessing the words to speak of the many ways of using a word to stand in place of another. A marker if you will, of what exists below the surface. Where you can find meaning in the only way that makes sense right now- at the root. 

I use aspects a lot in my communications, written and verbal. This is a recent occurrence.  I used it all of 5 times in my dissertation (I checked). I used it 9 times in my book (I checked). Aspects is an aspect of the pandemic it occurred to me this week (thanks to you the inspiratio ex machina of this blog post). 

And at the root, it all makes sense of course. The etymology of aspects is from the Latin for to see, to look at, to observe. Thus, by using this world I literally makes sense (or try to make sense) of what does not make sense. The origin and one of the definitions of this word is in relation to aspects astrological (the position of the planets) which is very on brand for me. But there are other aspects of these aspects. 

Pedagogical aspects: I use this usually when I mean frameworks or other knowns or unknowns that happen within an educational space. Inclusion is a pedagogical aspect. Scaffolded assessments is a pedagogical aspect of design. There are more of course, but you get the idea.

Systemic aspects: I use this usually when I am trying to get away from using "issues" because you know no one likes the word issues. And a la Sara Ahmed when you speak the issue you become this issue.

But why aspects and why now? Well because the tangible is impossible now and everything is now premised on this need for a visual epistemology. Thus, it would make sense (sense, get it) to move to a new sensory linguistic tell as Jennifer Walsh Marr put it so well this week. Aspects are the visual equivalent in my discourse to what I have termed "tactile residue" in my previous work (if you are interested you can look up my book here). Like the residue of touch that is forever etched on the body, whether we are cognizant of it or not, aspects also cling to the body, to the memory. The more I bring up the need for inclusion (in terms of accessibility, queer visibility, etc.), the more aspects appear. As Sara Ahmed states, "[d]iversity work as phenomenological practice is a refusal to look away from what has already been looked over" (Ahmed, 2012, p.183). Aspects appear when one does not want to ignore the aspects. Which brings us to:

Embodied aspects: I use this a lot more now as folk are more open to having conversations about trauma-aware pedagogy and embodied trauma. There are so many embodied aspects to our pandemic existence. What we experience is tethered and so many of these embodied aspects will not be known until years from now. 

Coda

The etymology of respect is from the Latin for to look back at (basically to re-look). Thus, aspects and respect are very closely related. They are both couched in looking, in the specere. 

This post is for you. You know who you are. I see you. You who made me realize the aspects (you who have all my respect) and know them all just as well. 

Reference

Ahmed, S. (2012). On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life. Duke UP.