How Safe are ‘Safe Spaces’?

The concept of ‘safe spaces’ emerged as an important activist strategy in the late twentieth-century United States with the rise of queer, feminist, and anti-racism movements.[1] In feminist movements,  Moira Kenney describes safe spaces as “[It] implies a certain license to speak and act freely, form collective strength, and generate strategies for resistance; a means rather than an end and not only a physical space but also a space created by the coming together of women searching for community.” In his review of the safe space movement, Malcolm Harris explains that the term was claimed by  the LGBTQ community around the same time to become a place where “people could find practical resistance to political and social repression,” [2]

However, the term has always been cloaked in a shroud of ambiguity, and while being appropriated and misrepresented across various movements; has become overused, but undertheorized. In her work, Rosemary Clark Parsons, researcher, teacher, and activist working at the intersection of technology and gender justice, extols the need to theorize and comprehensively define the term, through her sharp critique of the way “within these debates and discourses, safe space is often treated as a closed concept, a buzzword bandied about as if we are all on the same page about what, exactly, a “safe space” is and how a space can be made safe.”[3] 

As online communities continue to form increasingly pertinent and trusted sources of information, support and solidarity, a report jointly released by Global Web Index and Reddit suggests that the Gen Z trust information found on community sites almost as much, if not more than traditional news sources. The immediacy of live streaming, the network effects of social media and new, attractive formats of digital storytelling have offered possibilities for creating virtual communities around real issues.  How do we then leverage this trust so that young people find safe and trust-worthy spaces online for community building? 

In his highly quoted review of safe spaces, “What’s a ‘safe space’? A look at the phrase’s 50-year history” Malcolm Harris talks about the observations of French theorist and queer activist Michel Foucault on power and its dynamics and how it profoundly changed the safe space movement. Proponents of the movement therefore grew to acknowledge the ways in which existing power relations are reproduced at their most micro levels. 

Crucially, when choosing community building activities that ask young adults to disclose information about themselves, and especially about how they are feeling, there is a risk of unintended harm. Especially for  those living with anxiety, or those that have previously experienced loss or trauma or live with a condition that impacts the way that social interaction works for them, safe spaces, when moderated improperly could do greater harm than good.

For many, this promise of safety builds faith and allows vulnerability. This trust, when breached, could take years to rebuild. Further, social pressure in group activities can cause people to disclose something personal that they wish they could take back. This often weakens their perception of their own agency and impacts self-concept. There is a risk that participants may not feel they have the resources to listen to each other’s complex and challenging stories or feelings. A participant who finds themselves in a small group listening to a distressing account may feel overwhelmed and underprepared. Allowing for participants to leave the conversation or take a break from it is therefore  essential.

Given this context, what are the important considerations that enable the formation of effective safe spaces?

One way of ensuring that the conversation remains safe and respectful for everybody is to set ground rules at the outset. These could involve asking participants to strictly refrain from using derogatory language and for participants to issue trigger warnings before disclosing information that could shock or trigger the other members. This also includes reminding participants that they value and respect their privacy and their choice. A few such spaces account for safety, with regular check-in activities to rebuild energy, provide reflective space or adjust the group dynamic among participants.  

A case study of Love matters, an organization focused on providing information on sex and sexual health for young people in Kenya revealed that the key elements of a safe space are: good moderation; users’ ability to create their own online personas; and a community atmosphere that enables trust and social relationships to grow. [4]

Although social media can be an effective way to engage young people, the online world can also be a hostile place where people – overwhelmingly women – are bullied, controlled and silenced. [5]  The creation of free, safe spaces is an essential aspect of optimising online well-being.  The need of the hour is to explore the ways in which young people use social media as part of their everyday experiences in order to safely navigate their lives through learning, engaging, collaborating and constructing digital identities. Young people need to understand who they are and develop confidence in their identities, with a vision for where they are going and a strong circle of support to enable them to get there. If theorized properly, safe spaces could be integral stepping stones for the realization of these goals.

Finally, as Clark-Parsons points out, the reconceptualization of safe space as work requires us to rethink what it means to create safe spaces. There needs to be an ongoing dialogue about our expectations for the space, what work will go into pursuing those goals, and how we will hold one another accountable for the work.

References:

1.   Harris, M. (2015, November 11). What’s a ‘safe space’? A look at the phrase’s 50-year history. Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://splinternews.com/what-s-a-safe-space-a-look-at-the-phrases-50-year-hi-1793852786
2.   Clark-Parsons, R. (2017). Building a digital Girl Army: The cultivation of feminist safe spaces online. New Media & Society, 20(6), 2125-2144. doi:10.1177/1461444817731919 
3. Clark-Parsons, R. (n.d.). (2019) The Work of Classroom Safe Spaces. Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://www.academia.edu/38410911/_2019_The_Work_of_Classroom_Safe_Spaces
4.       van Heijningen, M., & van Clief, L. (2017). Enabling Online Safe Spaces: A Case Study of Love Matters Kenya. IDS Bulletin, 48(1). doi: 10.19088/1968-2017.103 

5.        Rhea Maheshwari, I. (2020). In one year alone, cyberbullying of Indian women and teenagers rose by 36%. Retrieved 5 November 2020, from https://scroll.in/article/956085/in-one-year-alone-cyberbullying-of-indian-women-and-teenagers-rose-by-36