Is It Empowerment Self-Defense?

                                               

Is it Empowerment Self-Defense? A checklist for assessing in what ways a self-defense program meets standards of an empowerment self-defense(ESD) program. In an ESD program, most elements of philosophy, pedagogy, and methodology fall in the ESD column. Where there are gaps point to room for development.
	Non-ESD Program	ESD Program
Philosophy  (the underlying thinking)
Attention to social context of violence	Little to no attention	High attention
Source of violence	Individual problems (e.g. bad people)	Social issues (e.g. social structure of privilege & oppression)
Targets of violence	Little to no attention to social characteristics; focus on individual behaviors	Attention to intersections of gender, intellectual and physical abilities, race, sexual orientation, social class.
Perpetrators of violence	“Bad” people different from others	Indistinguishable from others—focus on behavior not on appearance or social status
Framing violence	Physical violence	Continuum of violence
Pedagogy  (the practice of teaching)
Students’ capabilities	Expose their weaknesses	Reveal their strengths
Respect	Hierarchical with the head instructor the most respected	Respect for all and what each brings
# and ease of learning tools	Many and takes time to learn and retain	Few and accessible
Types of tools	Physical fighting tools are the focus	A range of tools--awareness, assessment, verbal, physical tools, (breathing, escaping, fighting)
Application of tools	The instructor provides the mindset: “If this, then…”	Toolbox approach--defenders apply strategy, tools, principles based on their assessment of the situation.
Attention to trauma	Limited	High
Responsibility for violence	Risky behavior of target; morals and mental state of perpetrators	Perpetrator is responsible and focuses on those perceived as socially vulnerable and who likely will not be believed
Methodology  (the means of developing a self-defense system)
Source of knowledge	Tradition, instructors’ experiences	Research and evidence, students’ experiences
Process	Internal, closed, isolated from practitioners from other systems	Collaborative, open, networking
Goals	Making a name or a profit for oneself or system	Social justice and social change
Dealing with disagreement, conflict	Attacking, bullying, one-sided	Dialogue, Non-violent communication
Martha E. Thompson   First published 2/26/18 in "Empowering ≠ Empowerment Self-Defense"
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