“The Radical Centre” with C.E. Gatchalian

I’ve never had a strong sense of self, and it’s still something I’m working on. This lack of self has manifested itself in a number of ways. As extreme shyness. As narcissism. As obsessive-compulsive disorder. As uncritical obeisance.

Recognizing the role heteronormative white supremacy has played in this struggle has helped me make better sense of it all. Both my early desire to be white and my later hatred of all things white were manifestations of the same dis-ease: internalized racism.

In this lecture I will talk about swinging wildly from one extreme of the internalized racism spectrum to the other, and how I’ve arrived at where I currently am, “the radical centre.” A place where I am “centred” in my cultural hybridity, and “rooted” in both the trauma and joy I’ve inherited from my ancestors.

This event will take place in the Peña Room (Room 301) of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. Presented by UBC Library’s EDI Scholar-in-Residence Program. Learn more: https://about.library.ubc.ca/edischolars