Building Coalitional Consciousness

In this essay, I argue for the practice of "coalitional consciousness-building," a method of self and collective education toward coalition. The approach itself is based on the radical democratic practice of feminist consciousness-raising, yet reconfigures the method in several ways in light of critiques by women-of-color feminists. In particular, I draw upon the insights of Chandra Talpade Mohanty, María Lugones, and Bernice Johnson Reagon as well as upon examples of approaches used by consciousness-raising groups that had success in engendering solidarity across multiple lines of difference to suggest a process of coalitional consciousness-building. The process includes the following three steps: (1) sharing experiences related to a theme in a way that pays close attention to the national, racial, and class and other relevant contexts and histories in which the experiences being articulated are being played out; (2) examining the experiences with an eye for the multiple relations of oppression and resistance at play; (3) exploring the barriers to, and possibilities for, coalitional action with regard to the experiences. Such a practice, I argue, could help contribute to the development of a feminist movement culture that is oriented toward the work of building and sustaining coalition.