By Gurjot Kang
Reporter
Every other year, the Wang Center invites numerous professional and academic speakers to take a closer look at a specific global issue impacting communities around the world through unique and diverse standpoints. The central issue for this year’s symposium was one that many students and faculty at Pacific Lutheran University are no stranger to, especially given the current tense U.S. political climate between opposing parties and ideologies. The theme for this ninth Biennial Wang Center Symposium was “Disarming Polarization: Navigating Conflict and Difference.”
Students and staff popped into the various lectures scheduled throughout March 5 and March 6.
The key-note speakers each took varied approaches to addressing polarization. Lecture topics featured discussions on bridging religious divides, reproductive rights for womxn of color, immigration, mobilization, democracy and the constructs of identity.
For student Bayley Gochanour ‘21, double majoring in Global Studies and Hispanic Studies, this year’s Wang Center Symposium brought an exciting opportunity to connect lessons from guest speakers, outside of the PLU community, to her work in the classroom.
Over the course of two days, Gochanour opted to attend three different events, including the final program, with philosopher and cultural theorist Dr. Kwame Anthony Appiah, on “The Uses and Abuses of Identity.” Gochanour, who wandered into the lecture for class credit, found herself departing the scene with reflective thoughts on the significance of bridging conversations around identity and combatting tribalism, even at PLU.
She was inspired by Appiah’s discussion on the generalizations humans tend to make about each other, prior to even meeting.
In his lecture, Appiah discussed the need to reform and revolutionize our ideas about identity, resulting from generalizations. He also emphasized the importance of changing the way we teach children about identity.
At PLU and college campuses across the nation scenarios of polarization between students arise all the time in and outside of the classroom. Gochanour recognized that identity can play a huge part in these conversations, especially around privilege.
“If I don’t hear the other side—perspectives, opinions and values that are different than my own—I’m never going to be able to gain a perspective to help me rethink certain issues,” Gochanour said.
For PLU, the clashes between students from lower and upper campus can often come across as a form of tribalism.
On one of her first visits to PLU, Gochanour saw this sense of tribalism in action when various students gave her their different takes on where she should apply to live on campus. These opinions, which she viewed as immature, almost influenced Gochanour to not attend PLU.
“As far as combating [tribalism], we talked a lot about that in the athletic committees I’m on,” Gochanour said. “I think conversation and understanding goes a long way.”
This is the mission of the Wang Center Symposium: to encourage the PLU and surrounding community to participate in a larger dialogue on difficult topics and understand viewpoints different from their own.
“It honestly makes me so happy to see students here,” Gochanour said. “There is so much to be gained from hearing a perspective from someone that is not living in Tacoma. I think bringing in guest speakers is super beneficial in so many ways.”
The symposium is part of a continuous effort by the Wang Center to introduce global perspectives to the approximately 50 percent of PLU students who often don’t get the opportunity to study abroad during their time at the university.
