Blog Post 8

 Positionality - the idea that our sense of self should be based on the communities we are apart of/want to be a part of, and/or the people we feel accountable towards rather than a singular identity not in relation to others.

Firstly, I want to say that the very first point that Carrilo-Rowe makes about our sense of "home" being dependent on where we currently are was incredibly relatable. Having grown up in small town Wisconsin but going to school and living in Minneapolis for the past ~6 years, I say "home" when I'm here in Minneapolis meaning "back home in Wisconsin (where my parents live)", but when I am back home in Wisconsin, I'll tell my parents "I'm heading back home (to my apartment in Minneapolis". With my family being big supporters of Wisconsin sports (UW-Madison being a focal one), this has caused a lot of playful jabs at me being "a Minnesotan now", or that "next you're gonna root for the Vikings I'll bet". Luckily, for my own sanity, I've remained a Packers fan through and through, but I will admit I definitely root for most other Minnesota teams having lived here for so long (much to my mental anguish).

Carrilo-Rowe's ideas on positionality are very intriguing to me. If I'm reading this correctly (which I admit I very well may not be, as some of the concepts/ways of explaining the concepts are fairly confusing on first read-through), it is centering one's identity as a relationship with one's communities and locations rather than one's own interpretation of them self. The idea is that one's recognition that they are who they belong to will give them a sense of perspective for their own pre-concieved notions or political stances - whether that's acknowledging the privilege that comes from their background or recognizing that they way they think is shaped by their personal communities. I could see some pushback against the idea due to people's innate desire to be their own person separate from outside influences - I, myself, initially thought "well wait a minute, I don't want to be defined by the places I've been or the groups I've been a part of, I want to be defined by my actions/words". However, I think taking a step back and recognizing that we are both shaped by the communities we are/were a part of, and that we are accountable for those communities' actions/behaviors can give us a greater sense of why we are the way that we are, and also help us recognize the strengths/weaknesses that come with it. Additionally, it can help with a wider perspective of others' sense of who they are based on the communities they belong to - a real "wow everyone else in the world has their own internal monologue too" moment. I believe the point of this is for people (especially those whose communities or sense of belonging allows them to be a part of existing power structures in the world such as being white or male) to recognize their privilege and recognize others' struggles in relationship to their own self, which would be beneficial to many many people, myself included. Fascinating idea.