Dissent

Dissent and conflict are critical components of progress and are catalysts that move individuals, institutions, and communities toward systemic change. Author Cass Sunstein writes, “Behavior that is sensible, prudent, and courteous is likely to lead individuals and societies to blunder.” Librarianship, on the whole, is prone to such behavior, choosing conformity over conflict, and inertia over action. Authentic dissent in librarianship can be a catalyst to facilitate positive change against systemic oppression in libraries, and in society at large.

Our presentation on this topic was born as a webinar, so it has a different and decidedly less interactive feel than our others. We wanted to at least start the conversation. Within our general profession wide discussion of social cohesion, what role does voicing our disagreement play?

Here are the resources we created for this latest Hooray for ________! Let me know if anything doesn’t look right to you. All items listed below are in .pdf.

Want to watch the webinar through WebJunction? Visit https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/hooray-for-dissent.html. Margo is excited to be doing interviews with librarians, community development designers, historians, and activists on how dissent works, where and when it is valuable, and why we should all give it a try sometimes.