There are countless ways to learn and develop new perspectives. My path and what I’ve encountered along the way have helped cultivate my own understanding, but in no way do I intend to suggest that the concepts and thinkers I cite are a comprehensive list of resources. They have supported my thinking, but there are so many other extremely valuable resources out there that one could explore.

Furthermore, no one’s path is exactly the same, and others may develop their perspectives through entirely different means. While my reflections have been largely informed by feminist theory, others can develop similar perspectives on liberation from totally different disciplines and entry-points.

An open-ended journey of growth and learning invites influence and insight from all sorts of sources that range across history, culture, and medium – narrative and prose, as well as poetry, art, images, travel, conversations, and personal experience (among so many other things!).

The multifaceted potential for elevating consciousness about how we are enmeshed in social, cultural, and political realities is something for which I’ve become more and more grateful. It illustrates how there are so many people who have created opportunities for all of us to learn so we can do and be better for one another.

It also demonstrates that there is no one way to expand our critical consciousness.

The important thing is that we do.

One thing I hope can come out of this project is a means for sharing and highlighting other valuable resources, to create a community space for shared learning and reflecting.

We are inherently limited in our perspectives. We can’t engage with every meaningful thing that has been created to further justice and liberation, but we can appreciate all those who work (and have worked) to create such opportunities for others and practice seeking out whatever supports our growth in that direction…even if that means simply revisiting our own sources, and questioning some truths we previously held that don’t actually serve us or others on our quest to justice and liberation.

If you have other important resources that you think should be included on the list of recommended readings, please add a comment to this page.