Anger & boundaries
Anger as a constructive force and as a precondition for change
“When we turn away from anger we turn away from insight, saying we will accept only the designs already known, deadly and safely familiar.”
– Audre Lorde, The Uses of Anger
When is anger an engine for change? When does it lead into dead ends?
Our focus is on anger as directed information: it signals that a boundary has been crossed, that an injury has occurred. This includes our own socialisation around anger — whose anger is permitted and whose is not. Audre Lorde described how the anger of women in particular, and the anger of Black women, is dismissed, and how this strips it of its political function.
The workshop does not work towards discharge. It is about approaching one's own anger, recognising it, taking it seriously and addressing it. This happens within a protected frame.
The concrete design is adapted to the topic, the group and the occasion.
References
What this topic works with
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All topics can be requested as a workshop for institutions, groups, festivals and events — scope and frame are agreed together.