I was introduced to living root bridges over a decade ago. Since then, their images have informed and inspired my approach to education and intercultural learning in my doctoral research. As we grapple with intensifying polarization, rapidly changing Canadian demographics, global interdependence, I believe living root bridges can teach us about coexistence. Here's why.
What are Living Root Bridges?
As their name suggests, living root bridges are bridges made from living trees. They're found mainly in the state of Meghalaya, in the northeast of India. The area's heavy rainfall and steep terrain make traditional bridge construction difficult. As a solution, indigenous communities have developed the practice of creating living root bridges. They're typically found in forests, on slopes and are used by people as a way to cross rivers or streams. Usually, a branch is planted on one or both sides of the bank of a river or canyon. Once its roots emerge from the ground, they are trained and woven together across a framework that connects across the river. Over time, the roots continue to grow and strengthen, making the bridge stronger and more stable. Their survival and stability require cooperation and interdependence between humans and the natural environment. The process of weaving and growing the bridge can take decades before it's strong enough for people to cross.
Living Root Bridges as an Interstitial Space
While I haven't been able to visit them in person (yet), an article by photographer Prasenjeet Yadav captures the feeling of crossing a living root bridge:
As I walked across my first jing kieng jri, my mind darted this way and that, trying to find a comparable experience. No, it did not feel like crossing a concrete bridge. No, it did not feel like climbing a tree. Instead, it felt like a fairy tale come to life. And perhaps, in a way, that's what it is.
There's something quite otherworldly about living root bridges. They're more than a bridge - something to cross over - but a living ecosystem. A generative space, something which improves over time. For me, living root bridges are a metaphor for an interstitial space - a meeting point at which new possibilities emerge.
The concept of interstitial spaces is one that I explore in my thesis on intercultural difference, and comes from Bhabha's post-colonial theory of cultural difference as an interstitial space to decentre cultural difference. It's a space that permeates with unfamiliarity, evokes considerable uncertainty, and is, consequently, a generative space - a place which improves with time, a place to flourish. He viewed it as an 'in-between space.' And in this in-between space, with non-identifiable fixed identities, there is a sense of disorientation, disturbance of direction, a restlessness, a movement of neither here nor there nor a place where the past is behind, or a knowing if the future exists. It's a disruptive space, where one goes beyond the polarized and fixed constructs into interstitiality. Our encounters with cultural difference offer us that possibility for interstitiality. To go through the (dis)comfort, to be in the moment and to engender newness.
Reimagining Possibilities
Living root bridges are unique, grow stronger with age and add to the environment. They defy our understanding of traditional bridge-building. There is no imposed hierarchy - the roots from each side merge, creating their own ecosystem - a living root bridge anchored in both sides. Similarly, an interstitial space allows the emergence of new possibilities - a framework for approaching encounters with cultural difference beyond power dynamics and, in a fluid, nuanced and dynamic way.
They show us what's possible if we take intentional steps towards the other, when we trust in our roots and when we coexist over time.
As educators, we play the role of weavers - guiding our students and their encounters with difference. Just as living root bridges can take decades to build, the journey to advance equity takes patience. They process may take years, but the impact will last for generations.
Thank you for reading.
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