our approach
The starting point of our programme is the learnings and un-learnings of our everyday privileges.
This means moving away from:
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seeing our often taken-for-granted comforts (privileges) as rewards for our ancestors’ or our hard work
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seeing how our privileges can become a disadvantage for another
and
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seeing how our privileges can prevent us from being a responsible social self. A social self is a person who, while focusing on their own growth, ensures the well-being of their community and society as a whole
The india & me programme provides co-unlearners with tools to question some “common sense” notions such as:
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it should all be about merit
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trickle-down economy works
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survival of the fittest is a good approach to life
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competition is healthy
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privatisation is good (even while we might enjoy and praise public services in other countries)
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uncritical patriotism that primarily means valouring national symbols
unlearning
to make an effort to forget your usual way of doing something, so that you can learn a new and sometimes better way
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The above definition is taken from the Cambridge English Dictionary. We use it instead of "learn" to remind ourselves that learning and knowledge production is never a linear process. Rather we build on what we already know by unpacking and re-learning those learnings and knowledge at the same time. In this way, we learn to and learn by constantly questioning our own world and our everyday and wider histories. This has also been our experience in the process of developing india & me: consciously or unconsciously, we are always stirring our pot of learnings - they are constantly in motion.
