Training and research: Art Therapy for social justice. A keynote address
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Keywords
Art therapy, south africa , social justice
Abstract
This presentation is about decoloniality and reflective practice in relation to arts therapy training, research, and social justice. I assert that practising our profession is a great responsibility and attempt to align that practice with the broader conversations happening within the Global South. A few more assertions are made from this initial one: firstly, that reflexivity ensures that we learn from ourselves, our past, and then move forward with an openness to being critical. Secondly, I acknowledge that social justice may not necessarily be achieved on a grand scale with reflexivity alone, therefore, a more systemic approach may be necessary. Lastly, by acknowledging that social justice in South Africa is a continuation of the fight against apartheid and its legacies of violence, educators and students are invited to contribute to decolonising the ways they engage with training and practice materials in the classroom. The presentation concludes with a suggestion made in collaboration with other applied arts practitioners that education should move toward a critical contemplative pedagogy that encourages the transformation of destructive emotions for skilful action.
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Lireko Qhobela, The Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and Reparative Quest ; Stellenbosch University
Lireko Qhobela holds a PhD in theatre and performance studies from Stellenbosch University where she was hosted by The Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and Reparative Quest (AVReQ) together with the drama department. Her broad research interests include topics related to the body, space and place, violent histories and trauma. Dr Qhobela’s current postdoctoral fellowship is with the Centre for Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies at the University of Cape Town. The position allows her to explore the ways in which space ‘performs’ on applied arts practitioners; specifically applied theatre practitioners and drama therapists. As a drama therapist, she is curious about the kinds of care practices that emerge from practitioners interacting with various spaces and the unique demands that the South African context places on them. Her doctoral research is titled “‘We never talk about our work in this way”: A practice-led research exploring the experiences of Applied Drama and Theatre practitioners working in Gauteng and the Western Cape.” She has presented work at various conferences including the University of Johannesburg’s 4IR conference and most recently a physical theatre performance as research at the AVReQ’s “Legacies of violence and trauma’s repair in the global South”. Apart from her research interest, Dr Qhobela, has experience working in private practice as a drama therapist as well as a performance lecturer for the Drama For Life department at the University of the Witwatersrand. She’s also a performer, an experienced drama facilitator and mentor. Her most recent facilitator engagements have been with the Ubuntu Dialogues Project between Stellenbosch University and Michigan State University.