To celebrate the Dramatherapy Journal's special issue theme 'Diaspora in Dramatherapy,' we are creating an open space to discuss the vibrance that is diaspora in the context of dramatherapy.
A diaspora usually brings to mind a group of people who have been displaced, dispersed, or exiled from their homeland. From its Greek etymology, the term denotes ‘dispersal’, literally referring to ‘the scattering of the seed’. Thus, being part of a diaspora is generally construed as inheriting a relationship with identity that is intrinsically bound to communal experiences of cultural, political, and racial displacement. A diasporic healing may involve finding belonging, processing grief, and acknowledging the impact of generational and collective traumas. However, the dispersal journey may also be thought of as initiating a movement, for instance, by creating diasporic spaces through cultural practices.
This is an open discussion space to explore the theme diaspora. There is an invitation to explore the meaning of diaspora, how it appears in different contexts and cultures, engaging with the the many elements that surround the concept such as power, identity, belonging, loss and bereavement. Together we aim to provide a safe environment to unpack what is evoked in the unspoken, unheard and unforgotten realities of diaspora. There is a heavy emphasis on participation with an invitation to locate where these rich themes fit within the lives and roles of the participants attending. This is an open space not exclusive to Dramatherapists, diaspora and the dramatherapy modality will be the focal lens.
After taking part in this event, you may like to consider contributing to the special issue with an article, reflection on practice or creative submission.
Details
The session will be Facilitated by Taylor Mitchell on Zoom.
The first session will be May 30th. 6pm-7pm
The second session will be June 12th 6pm-7pm
This event will be free for Dramatherapists and £10 for non Badth members £5 for student non-members.
Taylor Mitchell
Taylor Mitchell is a dramatherapist with over 3 years experience of supporting separated young people in the asylum system having supported over 145 young people therapeutically.
Taylor seeks to utilise philosophy to occupy the spaces psychoanalysis alone cannot account for, navigating the intersections of identity through a lens of fragmentary wholeness. Author of the article 'Dramatherapy Online: Here, There and Black Everywhere,' articulating the lived experience of neurodiversity and blackness in the context of race and the impact this has on the clinician and the therapy. This is an experiential space to discuss themes around disapora. The space will be contained using dramatherapy based grounding techniques to access and hold the space. There is a direct invitation to take an embodied approach to sensitively explore these themes using mindfulness.
Please note all tickets are non-refundable and this session will only be available live.