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ICT in Education for Women Empowerment: Creating New Paradigms of Thinking, Feeling and Relating Presentation for the Rwanda International Conference on

Technology in Education Kigali, 5-7 September 2012 Ineke Buskens GRACE Project Director Research for the Future

Presentation Purpose and Process

Purpose of the presentation: 1. Creating the space for a reflexive discussion about Women Empowerment and ICT in Education.

Our paradigm of thinking, doing and relating

The most important institution of our time is the ‘mind-field’ that comprises the values that give meaning to all that we do, think and are.

This mind field will form, inform and frame the ways we relate to each other.

Although such an institution is all pervasive and may feel as ‘the water we swim in’, it is nonetheless a cultural choice and not a natural

Our paradigm of thinking, doing and relating cont’d Because the values which we derive from such a ‘mind-field’ frame the way we give meaning to ourselves and others in terms of our being and our doing, it creates the reality we live in. The feedback loop between thinking, doing and the reality we live in, form a closed system. We create our reality in this way also when we are not consciously aware of this mechanism.

If we want to change our reality we have to become aware of our ‘paradigms of doing, feeling and relating’ and change them.

The Economy: The Most Important Institution of our Era The most powerful institution of our Era is The Economy.

The particular economic model that we have chosen is predatory, extractive and unsustainable.

It rewards damaging financial exploits more than productive science and technology.

It devalues caring work because this is unpaid work and can therefore not gain significance within its framework.

Global and Local Sexism As a species we furthermore entertain a planetary sexist caste system that disempowers and discriminates women because they are women. This has direct repercussions for women’s security, health, wellbeing and education, especially science education‌.

Culture and religion often contribute to this sexist paradigm by providing the justification for it.

Our paradigms of thinking, feeling and relating: The Economy and Global and Local Sexism The profit-driven corporatocratic economic model and the global sexist caste system support and strengthen each other.

Together they create the dominant paradigms of thinking, feeling and relating that influence us in all our endeavours, also in relation to issues of ICT in Education for Women Empowerment.

The Economy and the Frameworks of Local and Global sexism are irreconcilable with equity and sustainability.

Women Empowerment and The Current Paradigms of Thinking, Feeling and Relating‌.

These reflections bring up the following questions: 1) What does it mean for: women, women empowerment and ICT in Education for Women Empowerment, that our thinking, feeling and relating is so influenced by these paradigms?

Women Empowerment and The Current Paradigms of Thinking, Feeling and Relating cont’d‌.

2) Why do we keep these untenable paradigms?

Why do we keep thinking, feeling and relating from within these untenable paradigms even when such thinking does not give us the reality we want? Even when we receive negative feedback about their effects continuously and from many different sources?

The power of myth: Two myths and their effects….

The Myth of “Women are less capable than men in science and technology” sustains “male control”.

The Myth of “the global predatory unsustainable economic model as effective” sustains “corporate control”.

Power and Truth The nexus of knowledge and power has to be understood.

Power over = to have you accept my interpretation of your reality and experience even when you are not aware of it and when it is against your interests and wellbeing. In other words, having power over someone means that you can a situation where people’s minds is turned against them.

Turning Power into Truth

Emotional Mental traps that turn power into truth: 1.

2.

3. language

Confirmation bias Adaptive preference Conceptual bewitching, intellectual capture, political

Creating New Paradigms of thinking, feeling and relating: The paradigms thinking, feeling and relating that are formed and informed by The Economy and Sexism are closed systems, comprising their own mechanisms of justification.

When we want to make ICT in Education really work for Women Empowerment, we have to create new paradigms of thinking, feeling and relating.

This requires all of us…every thought, every idea, every practice will help…You are all invited….

Acknowledgements

All our research participants All the organizations and institutions that facilitated access to our research participants International Research Development Centre (IDRC) Each other and our friends and families

Thank you for your participation Contact Details: GRACE (The “Gender Research in Africa and the Middle East into ICT for Empowerment� Network): www.grace-network.net IDRC (The International Development Research Centre): www.idrc.ca (To download the book: African Women and ICT) Ineke Buskens: ineke@researchforthefuture.com