IDEAS, NEWS AND RESOURCES | January 2022
The Taos Institute's mission is to bring together scholars and practitioners concerned with the social processes essential for the construction of reason, knowledge, and human value, and their application in relational, collaborative and appreciative practices around the world.
The Many Ways to Get Involved!
Brief Encounter with The Taos Institute
"I believe it essential that we shift from what I will call a structured to a fluid orientation to our endeavors"
"The quest for symphonic perfection gives way to jazz improvisation."
Resources for the New Age
of Turbulence

by Kenneth J. Gergen, Taos Institute President and co-founder

Continuing waves of Corona virus, interspersed storms and draughts, political turmoil, sprouting online economies, malware attacks from nowhere….normal life in 2021. This has not always been so. By all indications we are entering a new age of human history, one in which rapid and unpredictable change will become a daily challenge. What resources are required for living viably in a world of turbulence? In my view, a major shift is needed in our longstanding traditions of understanding. In particular, I believe it essential that we shift from what I will call a structured to a fluid orientation to our endeavors. Human history is dominated by the attempt to establish structures, solid and reliable entities, or foundational systems - whether it be individual persons, families, businesses, governments, economies, religions and so on. All such efforts are challenged by the onrushing turbulence. Required is an orientation to our efforts that is not disrupted by the unpredictable, but moves with it – absorbing, synthesizing, and innovating. The quest for symphonic perfection gives way to jazz improvisation. We move from established rules and principles to the flow of dialogue. The borders once established to ensure identity and permanence are opened to collaboration, cross fertilization, and transformation. Downstream efforts to understand events or patterns now past, are eclipsed by active efforts to build the kind of futures in which we – altogether – may live viably.

It is in this context that I look back on the Taos Institute activities of 2021 with a measure of hope. Here were the wellsprings of exactly the kinds of resources required for our collective wellbeing in a world of turbulence. For example, the Fall conference on Education as Relating drew over 300 online registrants from 30 countries. In addition to plenary sessions that included contributions from international educators and students alike, there were 80 concurrent sessions, and 33 video presentations. Available now to the world at large on our YouTube channel are the plenaries, along with both the live and pre-recorded sessions. The sharing continues…all are welcome.

Complementing this concern with relational process in education, the Relational Research Network launched a video series of some 30 interviews with practitioners working with a relational focus on research. These videos are also being shared with the public on this YouTube playlist

In addition to these online resources, book publishing continued to flourish. In the WorldShare book series – offering free books in multiple languages for downloading – two new entries were added:


There are now over 70 freely offered books in the WorldShare series, and in 14 languages. In addition, two printed books were also published:


While on the subject of books, a series of eight free Dialogue with the Author webinars were offered to the public. Six of these introduced chapters and sections from the recently published Sage Handbook of Social Construction Practice

Education continued as a central focus on the Taos Institute. Five online courses and workshops were offered to the public this year, on topics ranging from social construction to relational theory, social movements, new therapeutic practices, and research as daily practice. Many of the participants in these courses were also enrolled in the Diploma Program in Social Construction and Professional Practice. The program yielded six graduates this year, and offers a unique opportunity to work closely with a mentor on a topic of the student’s choosing.

May such efforts furnish the seeds for a new harvest in 2022. Our future is at stake.
Professional Development
February 24-26, 2022


An online seminar with Taos Institute Vice President Sheila McNamee and Board Member Harlene Anderson
Harlene and Sheila will introduce, discuss, and provide opportunities to put constructionist theory to practice in this 3-day seminar (3 hours each day). Given the challenges we confront globally, discussion will center on exploring the practical implications of social construction while giving ample space for us to collaborate in an effort to put these ideas into practice. Special attention will be given to participants’ own projects and professional contexts.

This seminar will be useful for those familiar with social construction and relational practice as well as those new or unfamiliar with these ideas. This is an opportunity to be in conversation with others who are working in or who want to work in relational ways. It is a chance to forge connections that might help us sustain relational practices.

Click here to register.
Available For the First Time in Japanese!

Mary 17 - May 28, 2022

An online course in Japanese with Taos Institute Associates Terumi Sameshima, Ph.D. and Tomoko Higashimura, Ph.D.


Relational theory now provides cutting edge ideas relevant to practices across the professions. The major theoretical shift is from the traditional focus on individuals to the relational processes that are co-produced. In this online course, we will read Kenneth Gergen's book, Relational Being: Beyond Self and Community (Japanese translation published through Nakanishiya Publishing Co., Ltd., 2020). The course consists of an orientation meeting followed by six live, online modules in Japanese, explanatory videos by Ken Gergen (in English with Japanese subtitles), and online dialogues in small groups. The last session will be a Q&A with the author, Kenneth Gergen, Ph.D. (in English with translation).

Participants not only explore Kenneth Gergen's book, but also go far beyond existing theories and practices to develop and share exciting relational ideas and new practices.

2022年3月17日~5月28日

オリエンテーション1回、講義6回、著者との対話1回、計8回のオンラインコースです。
講師は、鮫島輝美(京都光華女子大学)と東村知子(京都教育大学)が務めます。


社会構成主義にもとづく関係論は、従来の個人から関係のプロセスへとその焦点を転換し、さまざまな専門職の実践に活用可能な最先端のアイデアを提供しています。このコースでは、ケネス・ガーゲン氏の著書「関係からはじまる――社会構成主義がひらく人間観」(ナカニシヤ出版, 2020年)を通読します。一人で読み進めようとすると難しく感じられる内容も、講師による理論的背景の解説や,参加者同士の対話を通じて、理解を深めることができます。本セミナーの講義は6つのモジュールからなり、全体のオンライン・ミーティング、著者による解説動画、少人数でのオンライン・ダイアローグなどが用意されています。

本セミナーでは、参加者がケネス・ガーゲン氏の著書の理解を深めるとともに、既存の理論や実践を超えて、わくわくするような関係論的アイデアや新たな実践を生み出し、それについて他者と議論することをめざします。
Next cohort: March 2022


At the Taos Institute, we support and mentor creative practitioners to form the future through relationships, collaboration, and ethical action. The International Diploma in Social Construction and Professional Practice exposes participants to multiple disciplines, all focused on collaborative and relational approaches to generating meaning, value, and practices of significance. The online Diploma program is not a fixed curriculum, with required lectures, readings, and graded assignments. Rather, it is an innovative, informal and tailored process of growth for adults looking for an independent study option. The Diploma program lets the learner embark on a project of personal interest with professional guidance and support of a Taos advisor. Applications accepted until the end of February for the March 2022 cohort.
Friends of Taos Events
The East Side Institute Presents


February 5, 2022 - 12:00 –1:30 PM EST

Dementia is emotional for everyone: those who live with it, those who walk side by side with it, and those who simply worry about the future. The creative challenge is how to move “around-and-about” our fears of “losing our minds," losing control, and not being able to “manage” the unmanageable – so as to open the door for new and more growth-filled emotional performances. Join us for a conversation with dementia activists (people living with dementia, care partners, health and mental health professionals) that explores the fears, anxieties, hopes, sadness, dreams, and (even) relief of dementia. What can we discover about making space for emotional growth with everything that dementia – and life – hands us?

Details and registration available here.

The East Side Institute Presents


February 27 – May 22, 2022

In her book, The Overweight Brain: How our obsession with knowing keeps us from getting smart enough to make a better world, Lois Holzman contends that “knowing” keeps humanity stuck in how we do things already. Furthermore, seeking knowledge as the only or best way to solve personal and social problems is a deterrent to the collective creativity desperately needed to rebuild our so very troubled world and the pain and suffering of all of its people. We need a new way to live—a new social practice of seeing, feeling, thinking, becoming. Even a new conception of new! And we’ll all need to do some non-knowing growing to get there.

Details and registration available here.
Dialogue with the Author

Free webinar on January 19, 2022
10:00-11:30 am EST (New York time)

We enter an era of the unknown – global conditions move with unprecedented speed, unpredictably, disruptively, and uncontrollably. Conflict is unceasing and increasingly polarized. Global warming and the spread of deadly diseases are a threat to all. How are we to go on? One thing is clear: in these perilous conditions working together is imperative. As Gergen advances in this clear and compelling work, successful collaboration requires a radical transformation in our understanding of relationships. So long as we cling to the view that relationships are made up of separate entities – persons, communities, organizations or nations – our survival will be threatened. Rather, as Gergen proposes, we must reverse our understanding: it is out of the process of relating that emerges what we take to be the entities and their character. Care for the entities must be replaced by care for the process. This brief introduction to a relational perspective is bountifully illustrated with innovative practices – in education, healthcare, organizational development, peace building and more.

Join this conversation with author Ken Gergen to explore ways to enhance well-being through relational processes.
Click here to buy the book prior to the conversation.
All past Dialogue with the Authors webinars are available on YouTube!
Resources of the Month
Videos of the month

in November 2021, students, educators, and change agents gathered from over 30 countries around the globe to shape the future of education during the Taos Institute's Education as Relating virtual conference. The plenary and concurrent session recordings, as well as over 30 video presentations, are now available on our YouTube channel!
Another video of interest

Conflict resolution skills are essential for forging and stewarding successful relationships between people, communities, and organizations. Beth Fisher-Yoshida, from Columbia University’s Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, hosts a webinar with Rik Spann and Simon Martin on their new book, Re-Sounding: Introducing an Alternative Metaphor for Organization Change, published in 2021 by Taos Publications.
Reading Corner

ISSUE 11 Available Now!

This free journal brings together members of a growing international community of practitioners, scholars, educators, researchers, and consultants interested in postmodern collaborative practices.

FREE downloadable books in 12 different languages. Like all of the Taos Institute Publications, WorldShare Books represent significant contributions relevant to social constructionist theory and practice. With over 30 books in English and many more from around the world, you will enjoy reading about education, spirituality, organizational life, community building, group dynamics, leadership and more.

By focusing on the positive aspects of aging and the availability of resources, skills, and resiliencies, research brings useful insights into the realm of practice, creates hope and empowers action among older people. By moving beyond practices of repair and prevention, to emphasize growth-enhancing activities, practitioners also contribute more effectively to the societal reconstruction of aging. For 20 years, late Taos Institute co-founder Mary Gergen, Ph.D. has inspired and driven the publication of this free newsletter - also translated in 9 languages!

Access hundreds of articles and papers on topics such as:

  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Collaborative Practices
  • Dialogic Practices
  • Creativity and Change
  • Narrative Practices
  • Relational Research
  • Relational Learning
  • Qualitative Research
  • and so much more!
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In loving memory of Taos Institute co-founder and board member Mary Gergen, Ph.D.. Mary was an innovator in feminist theory, social constructionism, and qualitative methods. She was an inspiration and mentor to thousands of people around the world. She deeply cared about making the world a better place and her contributions will be felt for generations. Read more