Global Classroom Book Club for Educators | Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World | Winter 2021

This is a virtual program, instructions on how to join this meeting will be sent the day before the event.

To kick off the new year, Global Classroom is thrilled to revisit Dr. Anu Taranath’s timely and compelling book, Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World. A Finalist for three book awards and featured in YES!, Bitch, and AFAR Magazines, Beyond Guilt Trips delves into issues related to identity, social justice, and cross-cultural perspectives through the lens of travel and tourism.

Although we are unable to travel due to the global pandemic, the positive side is that we have the time to further educate ourselves on how we can be more mindful of the cultures, languages, and lived experiences of those we will be interacting with as the world begins to open back up. Mindful Magazine was, "enlivened by [Dr, Anu's] travel stories-- at once tense, challenging, and brightly beautiful -- Taranath's book may become required reading for those who wander, and those who want to." Global Classroom is humbled to be working with Dr. Anu Taranath again, as we launch our Winter 2021 book club,  and look forward to providing safe space for our educators to explore themes that are currently at the forefront of global discourse.

About the Author and Facilitator: 

Dr. Anu Taranath is a faculty member in the University of Washington’s English and Comparative History of Ideas departments. A professor at the University of Washington, she teaches about global literatures, race, gender, identity, and equity and center around issues of identity, migration, race, sexuality, colonialism, feminism, ethical travel and inclusive pedagogy. Her new book speaks to the discomforts of travel. She says that, "before we go overseas, there's work to be done on how we understand ourselves while moving through the world."

A four-time member of Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, Dr. Anu has also received the Seattle Weekly’s “Best of Seattle” recognition, the UW’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and multiple US Fulbright Fellowships to work abroad. Taranath has led student trips specializing in human rights themes to India, Mexico and other locations, and has her own consulting company on racial equity. As a racial equity consultant and facilitator, Dr. Anu engages colleges, community organizations, businesses and government agencies to deepen people’s comfort with uncomfortable topics & work toward equity and social justice.

As founder and director of Dr. Anu Consulting, she facilitates training workshops and consultations highly tailored to her clients. A list of awards and press associations for Dr. Anu is included on her website located, here.

For Participants: 

Participants will discuss issues surrounding identity, social justice, and cross-cultural perspectives with Dr. Anu, a UW professor and racial equity facilitator. Rethinking how we engage in an unequal world both in our own communities and across the globe, Dr. Anu will provide the tools and context for developing ethical and thoughtful approaches to mindful travel.

This program is co-sponsored by the Center for Global Studies at the University of Washington and the World Affairs Council's Global Classroom.

Teachers will receive resources to accompany the themes discussed in the book, 4 free clock hours, and a copy of the book.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to rhauck@world-affairs.org or jpatterson@world-affairs.org. Register now! Space is limited.