Am I heard? Am I listened to? Am I understood? An essay about bringing Indonesia to the discipline

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this essay, I explore the concept of radical rhetoric by writing about my own personal experience as an Indonesian woman studying in the United States. In this piece, I examine the liminality of my identities, the contradictory expectations and difficulties of navigating myself in this discipline of rhetorical studies, and my ongoing effort to bridge my academic journey with my true self through three sequential questions: Am I heard? Am I listened to? Am I understood? Gloria Anzaldúa said that being a bridge requires embracing fluidity, uncertainty, and risk. As such, this essay reflects on my journey as a radical intervention to transcend ourselves into bridges—constantly connecting other spaces, other realities, and other alternatives despite difficulties and constant challenges. Being a bridge is to tell ourselves that people have other ways of intervention that we, a part of western academia, may not have the language for. Being a bridge is to never stop interrogating the system but at the same time keep trying to recognize the existing small insurgencies and overlooked acts of agency. Being a bridge is to believe (and make sure) that there is always a place for everyone in this discipline.