IDEAS, NEWS AND RESOURCES | December 2020
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.
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The Many Ways to Get Involved! |
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Brief Encounter with The Taos Institute |
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"If used as an invitation to creating possibilities for “going on together,” then our attempts are relationally oriented."
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"It is surprising what might unfold in living rooms and lounges or around meals that invite human contact and bring people together."
(when we can return to these forms of connection)
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Facilitating Differing Worldviews
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As 2020 comes to a close, perhaps we can look to 2021 as a time for dialogic connection in all its many forms. Following are conversational resources offered as fluid, flexible, and overlapping resources for engaging in challenging conversations. These may foster new understandings that, in Wittgenstein’s words, allow us to “go on together.” Can we focus on forging new forms of understanding and suspend our desire for agreement?
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Engage in self reflexive inquiry: Question your assumptions. Ask yourself how else things might be described and understood. Don’t be too quick to “know;”
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Try to avoid abstraction: Avoid global statements about good/bad, right/wrong, etc. and invite people to speak from their lived stories, culture, and values;
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Try to suspend the tendency to judge, evaluate, and problem solve: Speak instead from a desire to understand and from a position of curiosity about differences;
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Engage in relational reflexivity:* Check how your conversational partners are experiencing the interaction. Are there other topics, questions, details, issues you or others wish to discuss?
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Coordinate multiplicity rather than search for unity: Instead of forcing everyone into the same understanding, or framing an issue as true or false, maintain the disagreements and open a space where we can talk about our differences and come to understand the rationale for the other’s position;
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Use the familiar in unfamiliar contexts: Instead of teaching people how to do things differently, invite them to draw upon the familiar ways of interacting they use in other contexts and relations. For example, might it be useful to use the voice you harbor as a caring friend when you are confronted with a differing opinion?
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Imagine the future. Instead of trying to figure out what in the past has caused the present conflict, focus on what we might construct together in the future? How would we like to see ourselves four months from now? A year from now? In ten years? Once we engage in this conversation, we have already initiated the possibility of co‐creating that future together;
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Create the conversational space: If possible, invite conversations about difficult topics in spaces and atmospheres that are more conducive to human care and consideration. It is surprising what might unfold in living rooms and lounges or around meals that invite human contact and bring people together (when we can return to these forms of connection);
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Search for local coherence: Rather than judge, try to understand how a person’s stance has evolved from their history of interactions. Ideas, beliefs, and values always emerge within communities where participants negotiate together what counts as truth, right, and wrong.
A common mantra for constructionists is, “There is no constructionist method, per se.” All methods, theories, models and techniques are resources for social interaction. If used because it is the right one to use, we depart from our constructionist sensibility. But if used as an invitation to creating possibilities for “going on together,” then our attempts are relationally oriented.
Adapted from McNamee, S. 2005
* Acknowledgement goes to John Burnham for this idea.
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Dialogue with the Authors |
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Free webinar exploring this exciting new book!
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About the Dialogue
This dialogue with Ken Gergen, Ph.D. and the authors of this section will explore the ideas and practices in Section 2 - Research Practices of The SAGE Handbook of Social Constructionist Practice. This new book is a celebration of voices from the Taos Institute and offers a major review of social construction. It showcases the latest theory and application of social construction across a range of disciplines. This review of the field is timely while also pointing to future directions in practice. The focus in each chapter is on real-world practice in addition to theoretical work, thus making it useful for advanced students, scholars, and practitioners alike.
Section 2 - Research Practices features the following chapters:
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- Chapter 2: Introduction to the Research Section by Mary Gergen (editor)
- Chapter 3: Research as Innovation: An Invitation to Creative and Imaginative Inquiry Processes by Celiane Camargo Borges & Sheila McNamee
- Chapter 4: Collaborative Action Research: Co-constructing Social Change for the Common Good by Ottar Ness & Dina von Heimburg
- Chapter 5: Action Research and Social Constructionism: Community of Inquiry/Practice by Hilary Bradbury
- Chapter 6: Research as Performative Inquiry by Mary Gergen
- Chapter 7: We Are All Researchers by Sally St. George & Dan Wulff
- Chapter 8: To Know and Not to Know: Dialogic Social Inquiry by Rocio Chaveste & ML Papusa Molina
- Chapter 9: Transmaterial Worlding as Inquiry by Gail Simon & Leah Salter
- Chapter 10: Researching Socio-material Practices: Inquiries into the Human/non-human Interweave by Tanya Mudry & Tom Strong
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Order your book now and save 25% with promo code TAOS20: Order Here
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SAVE the DATES for the future Dialogues with the Authors of
All Dialogues with the Authors will be held at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM US Eastern (New York) time
February 25 – Section 3: Practices in Therapeutic Professions with Dan Wulff and Sally St. George
March 19 – Section 4: Practices in Organization Development with Diana Whitney
April 23 – Section 5: Practices in Educational with Thalia Dragonas
May (TBD) – Section 6: Practices in Healthcare with Murilo Moscheta
June 24 – Section 7: Community Practices with Marie Hoskins
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Professional Development Opportunities |
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January 28-30, 2021
An Online Seminar
In this 9-hour Zoom seminar spread over 3 days (3 hours each day), Harlene and Sheila will introduce, discuss, and provide opportunities to put constructionist theory to practice. Given the challenges we confront globally, discussion will center on exploring the practical implications of social construction in difficult times. Special attention will be given to participants’ own projects and professional contexts. We will provide ample time for sharing and interacting.
This workshop 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.
There is still time to register at the early bird price before Dec 20, 2020!
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Feb 5-26, 2021
Fridays, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon US Eastern (New York) time
A 4-Session Online Course with
This workshop consists of 2-hour weekly conversations over four weeks using a social constructionist positioning to unpack and exchange ideas from readings and daily understandings of familiar concepts in order to reconsider the merits, utility, necessity, and potentials for continuation and/or change of those concepts. We refer to this deeper and wider examination with the verb, “troubling.” We have found that when we engage in such examinations or what we call, Research As Daily Practice with a team or group, we are able to create new possibilities, effective changes, and understandings for going forward.
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Spanish - March 5-6, 2021
10:00 am - 1:00 pm US Eastern (New York) time
English - March 12-13, 2021
10:00 am - 1:00 pm US Eastern (New York) time
In this 6-hour Zoom seminar spread over 2 days (3 hours each day), Monica will invite participants to examine, discuss and reflect on different contexts in which social movements have emerged in order to resist and challenge violent ways of relating and interacting with each other. These movements have been the result of micro, mezzo, and macro practices of oppression, marginalization, exploitation, and abuse of diverse and vulnerable peoples (Indigenous and Black peoples, Women, etc.), and aim to reclaim alternative relational practices, based on empathy, compassion, tenderness, companionship, respect, and togetherness.
Registration fee is a sliding scale to allow everyone to participate.
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April 19 - June 6, 2021
This course introduces common premises and orienting ideas central to dialogues on social construction. The ways in which constructionist ideas differ from traditional, realist understandings of the world are explored. This course features videos and writings of Ken Gergen, Mary Gergen, Sheila McNamee, Harlene Anderson, Barnett Pearce, John Shotter, Saliha Bava and more. It consists of: weekly live calls, readings, videos, assignments, activities, learning partner conversations, online commenting, and writing. There will be live conference calls on Mondays from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM New York time/Eastern US time. An orientation is scheduled for April 20, 2021.
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January 24 - April 25, 2021
A 12-week philosophical exploration led by Director and
Co-Founder of the East Side Institute, and Taos Associate
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Featured Podcast Series
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Featured Journal
Issue 10 of the International Journal of Collaborative-Dialogic Practices, “in the time of the pandemic” touches on our current life and world challenges.
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Announcing a new Taos Focus Book!
Pre-order your book now. Shipping books in January.
by Jan N. DeFehr, Cynthia Loreto Sosa Infante, & Christian Israel Lizama Valladares
This book draws on social construction theory, collaborative-dialogic practices, and the particularity of two master’s degree theses to show how dialogic social inquiry can produce its own unrepeatable process. Dialogic social inquiry comes from, and remains connected with, the participant community at the core of the inquiry effort. When a research process derives from its own living social ecology, it can more sensitively and boldly do justice to the dynamic requirements and transformative possibilities embedded in the work.
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ISSUE 10 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.
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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.
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By focusing on the positive aspects of aging, and the availability of resources, skills, and resiliencies, research not only brings useful insights into the realm of practice but 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.
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Access hundreds of articles and papers on topics such as:
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Collaborative Practices
- Dialogic Practices
- Creativity and Change
- Narrative Practices
- Relational Learning
- Relational Research
- Qualitative Research
- and so much more!
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The Mary Gergen Memorial Fund
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
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Donate to the Taos Institute
Given the current global context, the work in which we are engaged is more important than ever. You can make a difference by supporting our mission to create promising future through social construction. Read more
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John Shotter Memorial Fund
John Shotter's death on December 8, 2016, was a profound loss for the scholarly world, for the Taos Institute, and for many of us personally. Read more
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Jane Magruder Watkins Memorial Fund
We remember Jane as an avid educator. This fund will support students who apply for a need-based scholarship to attend the various Taos programs. Read more
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Peggy Penn WorldShare Fund
Supports the publication of new WorldShare Books on topics related to the work and interests of Peggy Penn, Ph.D. Read more
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