Impulse card No. 1
My name
You have turned, taken apart, connected and changed your name. But a name is more than letters.
For the group
What do you think?
- Is your name sometimes pronounced or written differently than you would like?
- What do you do then: correct it, explain, or say nothing?
- When do you find questions about your name nice or interesting?
- And when do they rather annoy you?
- Has anyone ever assumed something about you from your name – for example where you come from or which language you speak?
- Is it different when you play with your name yourself – or when others change it?
For facilitators
Background
Names bring together sound, script, family forms, personal stories and belonging. At the same time, names can be a reason for attributions, exoticisation or microaggressions. Dealing with names therefore opens up a concrete approach to discrimination-critical language practice.
If it gets stuck / one step further
Bring in a situation: someone says their name. Immediately comes the question: “Where are you actually from?”
- When is it genuine interest? When can it be annoying?
- What can be tiring about being asked this again and again?