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Irish Examiner
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
‘Lived experience' is valued in activism – but is it doing more harm than good?
The idea of 'lived experience' – knowledge gained through direct, personal experience – is now central in activism, academia and politics. Popularised by feminist thinkers like Simone de Beauvoir and concepts like standpoint theory, it makes sense that people see the world differently based on what they've been through. And movements like #MeToo showed how sharing personal stories, particularly for oppressed, marginalised or victimised groups, can drive real change. Lived experience lends authority to those long excluded from public debate, offering insight traditional expertise may miss. But it also raises questions about who gets to speak. Those without direct experience of an issue can find their place in activism questioned. High-profile cases like Rachel Dolezal and Andrea Smith, activists who falsely claimed black and Native American ancestry, respectively, highlight how powerful the claim to lived experience has become – so much so that some feel compelled to lie about it in order to be heard. My research, based on in-depth interviews with 20 activists from a range of movements and backgrounds across Europe, India and the US, shows what challenges arise when lived experience is treated as the ultimate credential in activism. The interviewees revealed how emphasis on personal testimony can shift activism away from political action, toward guilt, polarisation and disengagement. This matters, because it affects who feels able to participate in movements pushing for social change. One trans activist stressed the importance of lived experience in leading the fight for transgender rights, warning that without trans voices at the centre, the movement risks overlooking key perspectives that are often absent from research and politics. For others, the emphasis on lived experience creates internal dilemmas. Activists without lived experience can feel unsure of their place. One white anti-racist activist based in the UK put it this way: I would definitely be silent in a lot of things, and I wouldn't be proud of it. But I wouldn't have the right to speak up. Another white female activist working in international development described a growing discomfort with her role: 'I fundamentally question whether I have legitimacy in leadership. Can I legitimately show up? Or do I just need to leave the development sector entirely?' In some activist spaces, speaking without relevant lived experience is seen as a transgression. Identity becomes a kind of moral litmus test for who gets to speak and lead. Activists described an overwhelming sense of guilt about their own social advantages. One reflected on how acknowledging those advantages, by recognising the privileges they hold (and their subsequent lack of marginalised lived experience) can be a barrier to activism: 'I think it is important to engage in self-awareness, but sometimes it moves into self-criticism. You can stall if you're always feeling guilty.' One interviewee observed a 'collective inertia' among allies, activists and academics who, unsure of their place, chose silence over action. Another described how guilt about having a privileged lived experience shifts the focus away from collective political action and toward perfecting the self — a kind of confessional self-work that risks becoming inward-focused, rather than leading to meaningful social change. These comments reflect concerns raised in social justice research about how guilt, humility and lived experience can shape or stall activism. My findings suggest that while lived experience remains vital, the way it's used matters — when it isolates rather than unites, or fuels self-focus over action, we need to use it more carefully, in ways that build connection and drive change. Identity, experience and diversity of opinion Some activists strongly defended the idea that those with the least privilege should have the most say. As one LGBT+ activist put it: 'The person who has the least privilege in society gets to decide what is true. If you're straight and cis, and you're a guy, middle-aged, and white, check your privileges.' While this perspective centres voices long pushed to the margins, it can also wrongly assume everyone with a particular lived experience will have the same views on an issue. Many writers and philosophers, such as Frantz Fanon, have challenged the idea that identity alone dictates political outlooks. As British writer Kenan Malik recently argued: Black and Asian communities are as politically diverse as white communities. Latino and black voters' support for Donald Trump in the US has challenged many people's assumptions about how identity dictates political allegiance. This tension has prompted some activist organisations to rethink their approach. The UK charity Migrant Rights Network shifted their messaging from 'lived experience-led' activism to 'lived experience and values-led' activism in 2023. They argued that figures like Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman demonstrate that lived experience alone does not guarantee shared values. Both come from immigrant backgrounds and have experienced racism, yet their support for restrictive immigration policies has led critics to question whether their personal histories count as valid lived experience. At the heart of this is an uncomfortable question: should lived experience only be recognised when it aligns with certain political values? My research suggests that if we only value lived experience when it confirms our own views, we risk turning it into a selective tool rather than a genuine commitment to listening. If we say lived experience matters, we have to be willing to engage with it across the spectrum — even when it challenges us. That doesn't mean we have to agree, but it does mean staying open to dialogue. None of this means lived experience should be dismissed – it provides essential insight into how injustice is felt, understood and navigated by those most affected. However, when it becomes the sole measure of credibility, it can create divisions within activist spaces and silence people who want to contribute. A more productive approach would be to view lived experience not as the final word or the end of a conversation, but as a starting point — one that invites listening, dialogue and ultimately, collective action. As one activist in my study reflected: 'If you take the time to talk and listen, you're not disqualified just because you didn't grow up in that context. The key is humility.' Dr Jody Moore-Ponce is Assistant lecturer in Sociology at University College Cork Read More Young people understand the urgency of the climate crisis
Associated Press
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Art PR Agency JPR Media Group works with Hélène de Beauvoir exhibition at Amar Gallery
London, UK - 18 March, 2025 - Top Art PR agency JPR Media Group delivers art press coverage for the Hélène de Beauvoir: The Woman Destroyed exhibition at Amar Gallery. Amar Gallery's exhibition Hélène de Beauvoir: The Woman Destroyed, is the first ever solo exhibition of Hélène de Beauvoir's work in London. Often overshadowed by her older sister, the writer Simone de Beauvoir, this exhibition features paintings & works on paper from the 1950s to 1980s. Amar Gallery's founder, Amar Singh, was recently described by The Telegraph as a 'farsighted art dealer' for consistently discovering overlooked artists and being the first gallerist to show the work of Lynne Drexler in London. The Woman Destroyed is an exhibition which took Singh three years to put together, sourcing works from around the world, meeting patrons of de Beauvoir and discovering how important Hélène de Beauvoir was to her sister and the global feminist movement. Editor Annalisa Tacoli notes Picasso was an admirer of Hélène's paintings. Picasso became familiar with de Beauvoir's work when the artist had her first solo exhibition in Paris in 1936 at Galerie Jacques Bonjean, a gallery cofounded by Christian Dior, who began his career as an art dealer before becoming a fashion powerhouse. Galerie Bonjean also exhibited the work of Picasso, Braque, Dali and much like Hélène even gave Leonor Fini her first solo exhibition. In Tout compte fait (1972), one of Simone de Beauvoir's autobiographical works, she wrote collaborating with Hélène was something she had long wished for. In 1967 one and forty-three first edition copies of Simone de Beauvoir's The Woman Destroyed were published by Gallimard with sixteen etchings by Hélène. First editions of this book are extremely rare, and one copy is on view at Amar Gallery. This incredibly important book in feminist ideology was the first time the de Beauvoir sisters collaborated together. Publisher Gallimard was afraid that the publication of such 'feminine' 3 literature would give it the mark of a publisher intent on overturning the social order. The main themes covered in Simone de Beauvoir's The Woman Destroyed are echoed in the individual memoirs of the de Beauvoir sisters, with particular regard to their mother's confined domestic life in their family home in the rue de Rennes, Paris, and Simone's later experience as the second woman in her relationship with philosopher, novelist and political activist Jean-Paul Sartre. Referring to her sister, Hélène wrote, 'I was her first reader…and I would draw' in her book Souvenirs, where she recalls how, in the early years, she came to choose the vocation of artist, whilst her elder sister preferred to write. In 1964, Sartre was awarded the Nobel prize in literature which he rejected as he did not wish to be 'transformed' by such an award. After rejecting the award Sartre tried to escape the media by hiding in the house of Hélène in Goxwiller, Alsace. Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir remained close with Hélène, regularly attending her exhibitions and immersing her with their electric circle including Cocteau, and Lionel de Roulet, whom Hélène married. Claudine Monteil, former French diplomat and women's rights specialist, presented a special talk at Amar Gallery about her relationship with both Simone and Hélène de Beauvoir. Claudine details in her book The Beauvoir Sisters, that the two sisters shared a close bond and artistic influence on one another, but also about the jealousy and rivalry. Monteil also highlights how these two remarkable women came together to help launch the modern women's movement and make a mark on the world. HÉLÈNE DE BEAUVOUR IN SELECTED COLLECTIONS & MUSEUMS Centre Pompidou Uffizi Museum Florence Oxford University Musée Würth France Erstein The royal library of the Netherlands JPR Media Group JPR Media Group secured top art press coverage in UK, France, and USA newspapers and magazines in both print and online. Media Contact Company Name: JPR Media Group Ltd Contact Person: Jessica Patterson Email: Send Email Phone: 07950977765 Address:14th Floor 33 Cavendish Square City: London State: Greater London Country: United Kingdom
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Miu Miu Second Literary Club to Take Place During Milan's Salone del Mobile
READ ON: Miu Miu will continue to advance its cultural approach to the upcoming furniture and design trade show Salone del Mobile in Milan through the second iteration of its Literary Club. The brand's initiative promoting literature this time will explore the subjects of girlhood, love and sex education through the work of French existentialist philosopher and writer Simone de Beauvoir, and Fumiko Enchi, one of the most prominent female authors of the Shöwa era in Japan. More from WWD Prada Spends 250 Million Pounds Buying Miu Miu Building on London's New Bond Street White Milano Closes With Uptick in Foreign Visitors Prada Group Sees Robust Growth in 2024, Management Mum on Potential Versace Acquisition The 2025 Miu Miu Literary Club — 'A Woman's Education' — will take place at the Circolo Filologico Milanese, the city's oldest cultural association, on April 9 and 10. While the complete program will be unveiled soon, the brand said it is planning conversations and live performances of interdisciplinary female talent. Last year, Miu Miu introduced its inaugural Literary Club 'Writing Life,' a two-day event spotlighting the work of the late Italian writers and poets Sibilla Aleramo and Alba de Céspedes. A schedule of talks, readings and live music performances aimed to evoke the spirit of literary salons and artist collectives of yore at the city's Circolo Filologico Milanese. Conversations explored women's position in society, from motherhood to work. Wrapped in special Miu Miu packaging, the titles selected and available at the event were Aleramo's 1906 book 'A Woman' (considered Italy's first feminist novel) and de Céspedes' 'Forbidden Notebook,' published in 1952. Panelists included 2000 Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri; Strega prize finalist Claudia Durastanti; critically acclaimed writer Sheila Heti; 2011 Campiello Opera Prima winner Viola Di Grado; Booker Prize long-listed author Selby Wynn Schwartz, and novelist, memoirist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo. Best of WWD Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost's Red Carpet Couple Style Through the Years: Photos Black-owned Makeup, Skin Care and Hair Brands to Support This Month and Always History of the Met Gala, How It Went From Fundraiser to 'Fashion's Biggest Night': Ticket Prices, Celebrities and Iconic Moments
