Teaching and becoming an activist in a ‘plausible genocide’: a reflection on (in)authenticity

In the autumn term of 2023-24, multiple strands of my life coincided. I am still trying to understand their full significance for my whole self as human, teacher, researcher, and London-based activist. This article explores the theme of authenticity as I taught and led a new module called Becoming an Activist at the same time as witnessing the “plausible genocide” (International Court of Justice, 2024) in Gaza, blogging about the impact of the genocide on my Gazan family, attending regular marches and campaign events while working on a research project into reflective practice. Our module adopted a broad definition of activism to allow for students to see themselves in it: “a series of contentious performances by which ordinary people strive to change social issues through collective action” (Tilly, 2004 cited in Chon and Park, 2020: 74).