Dialogical Approach Research Articles

Impotent Husband Culpable Wife: Feminization of Infertility in Ayobami Adebayo’s Stay with Me

This paper examines infertility as a major reproductive health problem that brings shame and leads to social exclusion of women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Infertility is a global issue that affects couples; however, the concept has been institutionalised by the enterprise of patriarchy in Sub-Saharan Africa to make it a woman’s issue. The paper demonstrates how childlessness has been socially and culturally constructed in African societies to hold women responsible for a couples’ problem, irrespective of the male factors related to infertility. The purpose of this paper is to disseminate information on reproductive health, which is a challenging conversation in most African communities, due to the complexity in the subject. Based on Ayobami Adebayo’s novel, Stay with Me, the text explores the task of the postcolonial African literary artist in providing information on infertility (reproductive health) in their narrative, hence, the interrelation between literary discourse and reproductive health. Erving Goffman’s theory of stigma will be employed to portray how childlessness is a discrediting problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a traumatic experience that reduces women to a tainted and discount other. The institution of motherhood created by patriarchy creates stereotypes about childless women for the interest of sterile men. Considering that male and female factors of infertility co-exist, the dialogic approach of Mary E. Modupe Kolawole and Obioma Nnaemeka is necessary in the follow up and management of infertility rather than focus on the woman who may not necessarily be the problem.

Роль ресурсного подхода к стратегическому управлению организацией в условиях межорганизационного взаимодействия

With the development of integration approaches in business, including international, there is a need for a reasonable choice of approach to strategic management of an organization in the context of inter-organizational interaction, analysis of their role in ensuring and increasing the competitiveness of its participants. The relevance of the study of the role and significance of the resource approach is determined by the fact that, firstly, the current conditions for the intensification of crisis phenomena in the economy generate the need to develop partnerships between economic entities, as well as the use of various models of their business cooperation; secondly, the limited availability of resources necessary for normal functioning activates and directs the search for opportunities to obtain complementary resources and achieve balance of business interests of several organizations in the distribution of rights and responsibilities of joint activities. The complexity of applying a resource approach to the strategic management of an organization in the context of using the potential of inter-firm partnership is due not only to the possibility of obtaining unique complementary resources, but also to the need to apply (form, transform, develop) relevant professional competencies that represent a key organizational value. The role and features of the resource approach to strategic management of the organization in the conditions of interorganizational interaction are determined. To determine its advantages and disadvantages, the reasons for choosing and rejecting it, the factors and principles of successful application allowed general scientific (methods of theoretical cognition and empirical research, general logical research techniques) and special methods, as well as methods of systemic, dialectical and dialogical approaches. The study of the strategic potential of the organization – the totality of the available resources and capabilities of the organization (as sources of competitive advantages) – for the development and implementation of the strategy through the prism of inter-organizational partnership with the help of the methods outlined above solves one of the central problems of management, contributes to the substantiation of the significance of the analysis of the role of the resource approach and the development of the resource portfolio.

CCUS in India: bridging the gap between action and ambition

India has committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070. While targets for CO2 capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies are not explicitly set, the Government of India’s agencies and public-sector enterprises have mentioned CCUS approaches conditionally subject to availability of feasible technology and financing. This paper aims to examine the gap between the current status of CCUS in India and the levels of deployment as projected by modeling exercises. It takes a Talanoa dialogue approach to answer the following questions on CCUS perspective in India: where are we right now, where do we need to be, and how do we get there. The current status of CO2 capture in India is at the pilot/demonstration stage, with the chemicals and steel sectors, being the most advanced. Emergence of the methanol economy as a key avenue for CO2 utilization may be seen at a large-scale. Geologic CO2 storage is at an advanced planning stage via enhanced oil recovery, and will likely be targeted over this decade. From the current and planned stage, India would likely need 400–800 Mt-CO2/year by 2050 to meet its share of the 1.5 °C carbon budget. We suggest several priority research directions for technology development across the CCUS value chain.

Youth and Community Work for Climate Justice: Towards an Ecocentric Ethics for Practice

ABSTRACT This paper traces an expanded ethical perspective for youth and community work (YCW) practice in response to the climate and biodiversity crises. Discussing ecological ethics, we problematise the liberal humanist emphasis on utilitarianism and reject it as inappropriate for YCW in these times. Instead, we argue for an ecocentric practice ethic which intrinsically values the non-human world. To advance an ecocentric ethical perspective for YCW we draw on decolonial and posthuman theory. Inspired by a Freirean dialogical approach, we apply these theoretical domains as lenses to problematise YCW practice, seeking a generative dialogue between perspectives. Through this, we identify three emergent tasks for ecocentric YCW: (a) thinking and acting beyond the individual; (b) cultivating reciprocal care and connection and (c) practicing critical pedagogies of place. This third element builds on YCW's social pedagogic tradition and provides a practical means to incorporate ecocentric ideas into practice. We conclude that, given the unprecedented implications of climate crises and biodiversity collapse, a YCW ethics that does not consider these implications for young people is insufficient for the context of practice today. Enacting an ecocentric YCW ethics requires ongoing collective praxis and dialogue between young people, practitioners, educators, managers and students.

Curriculum, democracy and pedagogies for justice: a collective futures dialogue

This collaborative paper by members of the Pedagogies for Social Justice Research Group responds to the question of how curriculum and pedagogy can be with and for democracy. Our introduction takes Alice Rigney’s and Dewey’s insights on education and democracy as our point of departure for learning together. As a collective, we have gathered together multiple ways of perceiving and enacting a curriculum for democracy in a context of de-democratisation. We approach tensions, intersections, limits and possibilities of curriculum and democracy from the frames of ‘woven’ curriculum and critical Indigenous pedagogies; racially, religiously and culturally responsive pedagogies; dialogic and relational approaches; agentic, embodied, activist and rights-based pedagogies; and everyday praxis.Kalkadoon scholar Mikayla King’s opening paper on the woven curriculum provides both a point of departure and a grounding site for weaving together our collaborative insights into curriculum, democracy and pedagogies for justice. Garrett and Windle draw attention to how affective and embodied pedagogies can challenge mind/body binaries and activate rights-based modes of being and learning. Memon observes how religion shapes the lifeworlds of learners and proposes a move towards learning from religion. Wrench, Carter, Paige and O’Keeffe advocate for the embedding of eco-justice principles, sociologically informed curriculum, and culturally responsive and story-sharing pedagogies. Lovell and Schulz claim racial literacy as an essential component of a pluralistic democracy that honours First Nations’ sovereignty. Soong suggests that ‘everyday pedagogy’ might enable educators to relate with pre-service teachers as critical and empathetic humanists beyond the role of neoliberalised technicians. Colton and McDonald highlight possibilities within the curriculum for learners to act with the pluralities of the world. McDonald and Schulz argue that gender equity is a necessary foundation for a peaceful, democratic world. We conclude with Hattam’s reiteration of how schooling as a key site for social formation re-produces the nation. He urges us to defy the monologue of authoritarian governing and ‘live together through dialogue’.

Grappling With the Inclusion of Patients and the Public in Consensus Building: A Commentary on Inclusion, Safety, and Accessibility Comment on "Evaluating Public Participation in a Deliberative Dialogue: A Single Case Study".

Deliberative dialogue (DD) may be relatively new in health research but has a rich history in fostering public engagement in political issues. Dialogic approaches are future-facing, comprising structured discussions and consensus building activities geared to the collective identification of actionable and contextualized solutions. Relying heavily on a need for co-production and shared leadership, these approaches seek to garner meaningful collaborations between researchers and knowledge users, such as healthcare providers, decision-makers, patients, and the public. In this commentary, we explore some of the challenges, successes, and opportunities arising from public engagement in DD, drawing also upon insights gleaned from our own research, along with the case study presented by Scurr and colleagues. Specifically, we seek to expand discussions related to inclusion, power, and accessibility in DD, highlight the need for scholarship that addresses the epistemic, methodological, and practical aspects of patient and public engagement within dialogic methods, and identify promising practices.

Contextualized Rights as Effective Rights to All: The Case of Affirmative Action in Brazil

This article explores how two main narratives about slavery may lead to varying perspectives on social rights. Some collective narratives endorse a superficial idea of equality of rights, neglecting factors such as race and ethnicity, while others reject this apparent universalistic view, promoting more effective, de facto equality. The latter narrative supports horizontal redistribution, strongly contrasting with the former. Using Brazil’s affirmative action programs for Black students as a case study, this article will address two prevalent national narratives about the slavery of Black Africans and persons of Black African descent. Only one of those narratives could lead to what I would identify as a “contextualized theory of rights,” ensuring horizontal equality amidst a backdrop of brutal slavery and structural racism. This narrative offers a plurally faceted, dialogical approach to rights that can respond to the needs of differently situated individuals. The article will explore the evolution of such a collective narrative in Brazil’s race relations.

Polyphony

This special issue explores the concept of polyphony in writing art history, using it as a methodological lens to examine diverse voices, along with their intricate interactions and contradictions, archival practices, and the collective creation of knowledge. Ranging from dialogic and experimental approaches to academic styles in writing, the authors embrace a spectrum of narratives in their writing to challenge canonical art history. Exploration of themes such as otherness, cross-cultural encounters, and relational aesthetics are also central, enriching the discourse with varied perspectives. Relational approaches to art history writing exemplify efforts in some of the articles to transcend conventional academic boundaries, offering writing nearby artistic practices and merging written with oral narratives. The issue also examines the role of archives, reflecting on racial and gender-based power dynamics and the concepts of living archive and archival rewriting. Several articles explore the implications of this approach, highlighting the need for a multi-dimensional narrative that acknowledges the complexities of the interactions between local and global discourses, transnational, transcultural, and diasporic identities. In summary, this special issue invites the reader to reconsider the traditional frameworks of art history and to embrace a more inclusive, resonant, and interconnected understanding of the field.

Critical Conversations: A Dialogic Approach Toward Developing Critical Consciousness

Critical Conversations: A Dialogic Approach Toward Developing Critical Consciousness

The Asean Stance on Human Rights Violations in Myanmar after the Kudeta

The political and humanitarian crisis engulfing Myanmar following the February 2021 military coup has drawn global attention. This article presents a discussion on human rights and ASEAN's approach to the crisis. Since the coup, Myanmar has witnessed a popular uprising against the military regime, with thousands of casualties and widespread human rights violations. ASEAN, meanwhile, is faced with the dilemma between the principle of non-intervention and the protection of human rights. However, ASEAN has maintained a dialogic approach in dealing with the crisis, reflecting its long-held "ASEAN Way". As such, this article highlights how ASEAN deals with humanitarian challenges and how this unique approach sets it apart from Western countries that are more inclined to engage directly.

An attempt to cheat using GPT-4: findings, discussion and recommendations for academic staff and students

This manuscript explores the use and detection of ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) content, in the academic setting. The study involves faculty and student partnership at a Higher Education Provider (HEP), examining the implications of the chatbot's use in academic writing and its potential impact on educational practice.
 We employ a dialogical approach in this Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study, mirroring the ChatGPT conversational style. A former student uses ChatGPT-4 to rewrite an essay, and the generated content is evaluated by free-to-use AI checking tools, Turnitin, and the module tutor.
 Our findings illustrate that while ChatGPT-4 could generate a passable assignment, it lacks depth, criticality, and contextualisation. Further, AI checking tools, while useful, exhibit limitations. However, the generated content could serve as a starting point for students, suggesting a possible shift in the educational paradigm with AI's integration.
 The manuscript also underscores the importance of understanding and navigating AI responsibly, calling for clear guidelines for AI use and improved methods of detecting AI generated content. While AI has emerged as an efficient tool for generating academic content, our study highlights the necessity of human-centric learning and critical thinking skills in academia, emphasising that AI should not replace personal research. We also discuss potential changes to assessment methods in response to AI advancements, recommending strategies for both academic staff and students.
 Our findings have implications for educational institutions worldwide as AI tools become increasingly accessible, raising questions about academic integrity, pedagogical strategies, and the evolving relationship between technology and education.

Why Should Mainstream Social Researchers Be Interested in Action Research?

The essay tries to argue why conventional researchers are obliged as researchers to be interested in certain forms of action research. The 60 years of ignorance have been illegitimate. The essay starts by listing two commonly encountered arguments paraphrasing Karl Marx and Francis Bacon via Kurt Lewin. It tries to show why a certain simplified reading of Marx cannot provide the necessary arguments. It then presents different variants of action research in order to single out approaches that according to this author require attention from mainstream social researchers. The action research approach emerging as central, by demonstrating its presence and effectiveness within mainstream research as well, is immanent critique. The method of research methodology is immanent critique. Immanent critique has to be demystified, however. When it is brought down to earth, immanent critique is really the kind of dialogical and experiential learning approach associated with apprenticeship learning and with organisational learning. This conclusion, making self-reflective practitioner-research the “hard-core” of action research, even internal to mainstream research, also requires a revision of the experimentalist-as-interventionist credo of action research.

Shifting professional and personal identities of the cisgender scholar doing LGBT research

Background: Scholars researching the issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBT) are being denounced as performers of ‘dirty’ work and promotors of ‘immorality’. Such scholars face obstacles in the workplace, such as difficulties in obtaining ethical approval, scarcity of funding, bullying, denial of promotion and unacknowledged scholarship, among other struggles.Objectives: This article intends to highlight the unintended, unanticipated and often overlooked impact that certain LGBT research interests have on the professional and personal identities of the scholar.Method: This exploratory qualitative study uses a reflexive dialogical single case study approach to understand how Katlego (a pseudonym), a cisgender heterosexual researcher, is affected by his interest in LGBT studies. Continuous supervision notes that enable thoughtful reflexive practice in qualitative research shaped the basis of this article.Results: This article shows how Katlego’s LGBT research interest resulted in him being policed, his professional intentions questioned, his bodily expression scrutinised and personal conflict being blamed on his allegedly ‘disgraceful’ research interest. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the conflation of Katlego’s interest in LGBT research with pervasive negative assumptions of non-heteronormative sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions has resulted in a shift in his professional and personal identities.Conclusion: This article calls for awareness of the issues faced by all researchers interested in LGBT research and support strategies for navigating the professional identity, workplace environment and social ecologies within a frowned-upon research field. Failure to do so could compromise their career trajectory, well-being and safety in compulsory heterosexual environments.Contribution: This article illustrated how gender regimes position the researcher as an active creator of knowledge; therefore, the research process experiences can neither be made invisible nor neutralised. Researchers must overtly consider and prepare for situational and unanticipated ethical issues.

Navigating the Postmodern Landscape: Embracing Interdisciplinary Openness in Pastoral Theology

In the face of rising secularization and the waning influence of the Church, contemporary pastoral theology encounters both a formidable challenge and an enticing opportunity in the postmod­ern era. This article explores how enhanced interdisciplinary engagement of pastoral theology can fos­ter a renewed approach to evangelization aligned with contemporary sensibilities. Through a compre­hensive literature review, we shed light on the experiences of the postmodern individual. By applying the analogy method and anchoring the concepts of “Logos Spermaticos” and “Influence and Vulnerabil­ity” in pastoral theology, we reveal its potential contribution to the interdisciplinary evolution of the con­cept of universal fraternity. The analysis shows that interdisciplinary collaboration in pastoral theology unfolds developmental prospects on two levels – learning from and learning with other disciplines. The “Logos Spermaticos” concept underscores the importance of acquiring new skills, empowering pastoral workers to communicate Christian doctrine more effectively. Simultaneously, the “Influence and Vulner­ability” concept fosters a dialogical approach, positioning pastoral theology as a respected interlocutor in contemporary interdisciplinary dialogues. Collaborative efforts with other disciplines empower pastoral theology to foster dialogue and deepen the idea of universal fraternity, both in academic discourse and practical application. The interdisciplinary and global development of fraternal humanism represents the necessary “loosening of the soil” for the seed of the Word of God to sprout in the future. Therefore, it becomes imperative for pastoral theology to transcend its conventional role, actively engaging in inter­disciplinary dialogue, thereby charting a course toward an elevated societal role and innovative avenues for proclaiming the Gospel.

Critical Pedagogy: Investigating Critical Thinking Skills and Active Citizenship through Discourse Analysis in a Moroccan EFL Textbook

Critical pedagogy is an educational philosophy that aims to empower individuals and promote significant societal change. Paulo Freire emphasized the importance of using a dialogic approach as a teaching method to increase students' understanding of social issues by exposing them to difficult learning situations. Through this process, students cultivate their creativity, capacity for problem-solving, sociological consciousness, and advanced cognitive abilities. Therefore, curriculum designers should integrate pedagogical practices that conform to the identical standards of teacher-student rapport. This allows students to forge connections with the world and engage in a critical examination of it. Furthermore, it assists individuals in analyzing and assessing the information they acquire, whether it is communicated consciously or unconsciously, in relation to the social interactions and propaganda they encounter. This study aims to examine the extent to which Ticket to English 2, a designated Moroccan English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbook, enhances students' critical thinking skills and encourages active citizenship in society. The analysis was carried out using progressive and critical discourse analysis, employing Fairclough's dimensions as a potential framework.

‘We Must be Focused and We Must Organise’: Gender, Conflict and Human Rights Activism in Balochistan

Although often overlooked and underestimated in official accounts, female activists play an important role in human rights and liberation movements worldwide. While women’s roles and experiences in the struggle for rights and liberation worldwide have been discussed in numerous publications, there is a lack of academic literature on the roles of women in the Baloch movement in Pakistan. Using a collaborative autoethnographic, dialogic approach, this article, which is based on a conversation between three researchers, practitioners and activists from Balochistan, other parts of Pakistan, and Europe, explores the motivations and experiences of women defending the human rights of the Baloch people in Pakistan, as well as possibilities for various types of solidarities (based on international, feminist, Muslim and interethnic alliances) in Pakistan and beyond. It shows how gender, age, ethnicity, class and location impact female activists’ experiences of activism, and outlines challenges and opportunities when it comes to building national and international alliances in support of the movement for Baloch rights in Pakistan.

Dialogical devices and political possibilities of art: Occupy, Inhabit, Resist

‘Dialogical Devices and Political Possibilities of Art: Occupy, Inhabit, Resist,’ is a conversation with Sandra Calvo an interdisciplinary artist based in Mexico, exploring the intersection of art and struggles for home and territory. Sandra Calvo elucidates her dialogical approach in accompanying communities in struggle, employing dialogical devices that foster conversations and potential spaces for expression and re-signification in conflict scenarios. In this conversation Sandra talks about her work in Colombia and Mexico underlying the importance of listening and dialogue to denounce and confront extractivist and dispossession projects.

Digital literacy of older women with smartphones: a dialogic approach to overcoming barriers

The scientific literature provides evidence that the use of mobile devices with internet access by older adults contributes to their autonomy, capacity for independence, and staying connected, impacting a better quality of life and health. There is also evidence that digital exclusion in smartphone use mainly affects older people, especially women with low academic skills. However, there is very little research on successful dialogical experiences in digital literacy for older women with smartphones. This case study will help fill that gap by collecting the perceptions of female participants (aged 74-90) and female educators of a digital literacy course with smartphones that ran for two academic years. The impact on autonomy and social relationships in the framework of dialogic learning is analyzed, in addition to identifying characteristics that could be transferable to other contexts. The main results show that the dialogic approach of the course has contributed to creating a learning environment based on interactions of mutual support, overcoming the initial fear of using smartphones, developing essential skills for their daily use, and allowing participants to be more connected with family and friends.

The centrality of the Other: Self-development, values, and democracy

This paper aims at analyzing the centrality of the Other in human ontogeny, by highlighting its ontological role in the development of self, values, and democracy. Inspired by Streib’s thoughtful contributions I argue for the intrinsic relations between wisdom, ethics, and values, as well as how those relations can become an important venue in the cultural construction of democratic societies. By assuming a dialogical cultural approach, I stress the role of affective-semiotic processes in promoting individuals’ ethical sensibility toward others, and values’ openness to different perspectives and wisdom, stressing the role of education in this process.

Original sin or natural order: Dialogical construction of social knowledge of animal production

AbstractThis research examines the public discussion around animal production in Finland. Applying a dialogical approach to social representations theory, we elucidate the hotly debated nature of animal production by analysing news articles (N = 50) and the related reader‐produced comments (N = 1501) in Finnish newspapers. We employed qualitative methods for analysing multivoicedness and dialogue to identify ego–alter pairs constructed in the material in relation to the object of animal production. Four prevalent ego–alter pairs were identified: advocates for animal rights–animal production defenders, producers–consumers, orthodox–unorthodox Christians and provincials–urban dwellers. The study contributes to the study of everyday knowledge by showing how various contradictory understandings of the same topic are generated in public discourse. The research also demonstrates how the theoretical concept of ego–alter embedded in the social representations theory can be empirically utilised in analysing debates in contemporary media environments and to shed light on the dialogical dynamics around the discussions.