Moebius Strip

One "product" of Jenny's session was a Moebius strip made of multi-coloured paper. The idea behind using the Moebius strip was that it could stand as a metaphor for feminist research because:

• there is no "in" and "out" (referring to exclusive and inclusive discourses that affect research)
• it is a metaphor, not a "fact" (there are alternate ways of documenting experiences)
• it is not a report, but a patchwork of personal core thoughts (there is no way to provide a complete picture)
• it is endless (research is time-bound and the same research at a different time might look quite different. Also, this refers to natural cycles and the fact that change is a constant.)
• it is not fixed and objective. Research is a composite of many different facts, truths, perspectives, opinions, values
• there are multiple truths, depending on how you perceive things
• it is a mental puzzle
• when you cut the strip in half lengthwise (go to a deeper layer of research) the strip doesn't get cut in half, but turns into a larger circle with more twists and turns

Here is what we wrote on the Moebius strip:

The journey is the destination Keep track of your values and keep checking how they affect your listening Hope Play, prod, puzzle, mull, muse, and find the joy in the research process Balance Be strong to what you believe Holding the tensions Centre Puzzling Personal power, power within Feminist researchers dancing in the light!! Hold strong to your values Try to make visible how meaning is constructed Take time to reflect Research is making meaning Don't let words leave people out Be humble Certainty and ambiguity Thinking the best of the individual, while recognizing the worst of the system Research is only one option for responding to story - there is also humbled silence in the face of what you cannot know or understand, a recommitment to justice, action for change, respect for the power of story and experience