Fugitive knowledge and the gay and lesbian community

Fugitive Knowledge

Universal Applicability

It is a fact of history that most knowledge is passed on by the majority. What is written in history books and the great works of the time usually reflects the views of society. This is what R. Hill discusses in essay, "Learning to transgress: A socio-historical conspectus." Hill contends that the gay and lesbian community has historically been left out of the communication of traditional knowledge, although this community has made significant contributions to the body of knowledge throughout history. Just because the community was not given appropriate opportunity for participation and exposure by most of society, however, does no mean that the gay and lesbian community did not have a chance to meet, discuss, and create knowledge of their own. Hill calls this knowledge fugitive knowledge, and an understanding of it is importance is integral to both education and history. By examining a definition of fugitive knowledge, in addition to discussing its importance, one can understand why the issue is so integral to many disciplines.

According to Hill, fugitive knowledge can be defined as knowledge "constructed outside of the dominant social discourse [that], therefore, escapes the control of privileged spectators" (1). As an example, Hill argues that "knowledge produced by gay and lesbian people in selected periods of our history" is fugitive knowledge. In addition to simply passing knowledge between one another in selected communities, Hill contends that gay men and lesbians created a type of education. This education consisted of teaching adults to transgress, or act in opposition to the primary views of society, in addition to the passing of this knowledge between one another in networks. Furthermore, Hill found that these networks were rather organized and extensive. Although, they had created their own society of normalcy, however, these networks still faced the opposition of society. Thus, fugitive knowledge can be defined as knowledge created by groups living in opposition to, and often oppressed by, society's majority values, passed between these groups in networks and through education that often resemble the highly organized institutions created by the majority society.

Although Hill applies fugitive knowledge to the gay and lesbian community, its importance can be found in its universal applicability. Throughout history, many groups have been oppressed by society. Like the gay and lesbian community, these groups have created knowledge that they communicated to one another through networks and education. For instance, African-American culture in the United States operated through networks and educational channels to pass fugitive knowledge during the abolitionist movements through the civil rights movement. Some may argue that these groups still have these communities today. As society begins to become more aware of the oppression these groups faced in the past, and initiate objectives that attempt to include previously alienated groups, fugitive knowledge becomes more important. Educators and writers of history must begin to include this knowledge in their classrooms and manifestos in order to make known the contributions of even the oppressed.