Aesthetic Wit(h)nessing in Times of Trouble: Propositions for Working Affirmatively With Difference Within Matrixial Pedagogical Practice.

This article explores how Bracha Ettinger’s notion of matrixial aesthetic wit(h)nessing fosters opportunities for dealing with memory and trauma in classroom encounters during times of trouble. Drawing on my experience of teaching a history of art and design curriculum at a University of Technology in South Africa, the intention is to highlight the crucial role that Ettingerian Matrixial Theory (EMT) plays in building trust in troubled educational spaces. Concerned with the ethical implications of surfacing and transforming traumas, the inquiry begins with a discussion on how South Africa (SA), and SA Higher Education (HE) in particular, are saturated with traumatic histories whose palpable affects continue to make their presence felt. The paper then introduces EMT and considers how it might contribute to HE pedagogical practice. Drawing on pedagogical learnings that have co-emerged through years of slow iterative returns to matrixial praxis, the paper puts forward six propositions for pedagogical practice that seek to work affirmatively with difference. Although situated within the context of SAHE, it is hoped that the reverberations of the experiences shared here will have resonances with higher education globally.