By Insha Shahryar, WRDS Communications and Events Coordinator
On June 17, the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media (JWAM) hosted a book launch for The Benevolent Gaslight, a new book by Dr. Louis Maraj (JWAM) and Dr. Pritha Prasad of the University of Kansas.
This book builds on a research paper by Maraj and Prasad titled, “I am Not Your Teaching Moment’: The Benevolent Gaslight and Epistemic Violence”, which was awarded the Richard Braddock award at the 2023 Conference on College Composition and Communication.
The book tackles the subject of racism in academia, particularly the phenomenon of racial violence experienced by people of colour being used as a ‘learning opportunity’ and practically being justified as a necessary step in the process of advancing towards a progressive, antiracist present and future. While the primary focus of the text remains in the academic sphere, it also traces the prevalence of this phenomenon across pop culture and politics.
Held at Thea Lounge at the UBC Graduate Student Society, the book launch was an intimate gathering of faculty, scholars, and students. Following a short introduction by JWAM Director, Dr. Kamal Al-Solaylee, Dr. Maraj took to the podium for a brief talk about the background and writing process for the book. He traced the path of how the book came to be—from the experiences and events that inspired him and Prasad to coin the term ‘benevolent gaslight’ to the resistance to the project and attempts at censorship by fellow authors. He further elaborated on how The Benevolent Gaslight‘s exploration of academic racism is informed by the authors’ own experiences working in academia as scholars of colour.
Dr. Maraj then proceeded to read short passages from the book that highlighted the ways in which ‘benevolent gaslighting’ rears its head in pedagogical practices and even in the political sphere. The book reading was followed by a Q&A session, allowing the attendees and the author to engage in meaningful discussions on topics ranging from innovative pedagogical practices to the role of journalism in facilitating ‘benevolent gaslighting’.
Dr. Maraj says that the book does not aim to deliver a clear-cut solution to the readers; instead, it entreats them to think through the book’s material, reflect on their own subject position, and orient their behaviour in line with their own interpretation. He implores the readers to actively engage with the subject matter and imagine education without the need to rely on violence.
Photos by Alfred Hermida
