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- Gergen and Kenneth , J. 1991 . The Saturated Self New York : Basic Books . For more on such tendencies see
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- Sampson and Edward , E. 1993 . Celebrating the Other Denver : Westview Press .
- Shotter and John . 1993 . Conversational Realities 61 London : Sage Publications .
- In making our argument for transformative dialogue, we draw upon the common discourse of scholarly writing—rational argument. To that end, we rely on strategies that help us to build our own argument, thereby giving it the appearance of “the real” or “the true,” strategies such as positioning our ideas against more commonly held ideas. There is a particular irony in this choice given our focus on alternatives to this very form of discourse. However, we intend to neither dispel nor displace our standard forms of discourse. We simply hope to offer compelling options that we believe have potential for generating coordination among incommensurate discourses. To that end, we draw in the present article on the dominant intellectual tradition to express our proposal for transformative dialogue
- In identifying these popular orientations to dialogue we intend to recognize the positive contributions of each as well as the cultural and intellectual traditions from which they have emerged. We do, however, use these existing practices of conflict resolution as “counter-points” to our image of transformative dialogue. In doing so, we do not mean to imply that any of the current approaches are “bad” or “wrong” but that they move in different directions and have some limitations (as do any forms of practice)
- van Eemeren , F. H. and Grootendorst , R. 1983 . Speech Acts in Argumentative Discussions 2 Dordrecht : Foris Publications .
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- Bohm and David . 1985 . Unfolding Meaning: A Weekend of Dialogue with David Bohm New York : Ark Paperbacks .
- Chasin , Richard , Herzig , Margaret , Roth , Sallyann , Chasin , Laura , Becker , Carol , Stains and Robert Jr. 1996 . From Diatribe to Dialogue on Divisive Public Issues: Approaches Drawn from Family Therapy . Mediation Quarterly , 13 : 323 – 344 .
- Chasin , Richard , Herzig and Margaret . 1994 . “ Creating systemic interventions for the socio-political arena ” . In The Global Family Therapist: Integrating the Personal, Professional and Political Edited by: Berger-Could , B. and DeMuth , D. H. Needham , Massachusetts : Allyn and Bacon .
- We have argued earlier that language is essentially a differentiating medium. Every word separates that which is indicated from that which is not. In naming, that is in creating identity, we draw distinctions. Within this orientation, we could say that language, itself, is responsible for conflict—it is the “creator” of conflict. And, if language creates the boundaries that generate incommensurate realities, then isn't our suggestion of a vocabulary of transformative dialogue counter-intuitive? We do not see it as such. No discourse is wholly “good” or “bad.” No form of social practice (such a language) is entirely the “problem” or the “solution.” Our suggestion for a vocabulary of transformative dialogue draws upon a variety of discursive traditions. We are not crafting a new various forms of practice but rather we are inviting fluid movement in and out of our extant conversational resources. To that end, our hope is that the vocabulary of transformative dialogue that we propose does not require learning an entirely new repetoire for conversation, nor require a skilled facilitator. Our proposal is to encourage conversants to draw from the expansive repertoire of resources they already hold, for example, to explore using a conversational offering that they might employ more readily in another context or relationship. We also propose that an emphasis on joint action as constitutive of our lived realities has potential to move us toward transformative dialogue. In brief, we do not see our proposal as necessarily requiring any participant to abandon cherished discourses and the relationships that give them life
- McNamee , Sheila , Gergen and Kenneth , J. 1999 . Relational Responsibility: Resources for Sustainable Dialogue Thousand Oaks , California : Sage .
- Anderson and Harlene . 1997 . Conversation, Language, and Possibilities 153 New York : Basic Books .
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- Pearce , W. , Barnett , Littlejohn and Stephen , W. 1997 . Moral Conflict Thousand Oaks , California : Sage .
- Cooperrider and David . 1990 . “ Positive Imagery, Positive Action: The Affirmative Basis of Organizing ” . In Appreciative Management and Leadership Edited by: Srivastva , S. , Cooperrider , D. and Associates . San Francisco , California : Jossey-Bass .
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- Barrett and Frank , J. 1995 . Creating Appreciative Learning Cultures . Organization Dynamics , 24 ( Fall ) : 36 – 49 .
- Pearce , W. , Barnett , Littlejohn and Stephen , W. 1997 . Moral Conflict Thousand Oaks , California : Sage .