Chi ku (吃苦), directly translated as "eating bitterness," once described the notion of perseverance through hardship without complaint but evolved into sessions where community members recounted experiences of perseverance and suffering to inspire societal change. By bringing the tradition of chi ku into conversation with transformative justice practices and current events, we aim to show participants how participation in storytelling can transform mere complaints into community change, and how articulations of suffering can transcend into collective power.
ABSTRACT: This workshop will introduce participants to the revolutionary history of chi ku (吃苦), directly translated as "eating bitterness," which once described the notion of perseverance through hardship without complaint. The concept was transformed during the Mao era, in which revolutionaries cultivated class consciousness through su ku (诉苦), or “speaking bitterness,” sessions where people recounted their experiences of perseverance and suffering. This workshop will reclaim this radical oral tradition by teaching participants how to transform trauma into fuel for collective healing and class solidarity.By bringing the tradition of chi ku into conversation with transformative justice practices and current events, we aim to show participants how participation in storytelling can transform mere complaints into community change, and how articulations of suffering can transcend into collective power. Participants will have a chance to experience chi ku and su ku through a transformative justice circle to learn how oral historians can have a trauma informed lens to their practice, making oral history transformative and rewarding for narrators.
