Description
Mapping Dialogue: Essential Tools for Social Change
by Marianne 'Mille" Bojer, Heiko Roehl, Marianne Knuth and Colleen Magner
Taos Institute Publications, 2008
Price:$24.00 US plus shipping and handling
Paperback, 145 pages
ISBN:
13-digit: 978-0-971231-28-3
E-BOOK – available on Kindle, and Nook
This book is available in French: To purchase click here
Title Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
Readers' Comments
Description:
In a world of increasing complexity, answers have a short life-span and people have a growing desire to solve their own problems. Sustainable social change is increasingly depending on successful dialogue. This book provides a closer look at transformative dialogue tools and processes for social change. It profiles ten dialogue methods in depth, and another fifteen more briefly. The methods covered conceptually and in case studies include Deep Democracy, Open Space Technology, Scenario Planning, World Café, the Israeli-Palestinian School for Peace and many more. The book gives insight into the foundations of practical dialogue work, a dictionary to distinguish dialogue from other forms of conversation, and inspiration from traditional African approaches to dialogue.
The Authors, an international team of Dialogue Practitioners, offer guidelines for assessing what tools to use for which situation on the basis of their experience. This makes it a unique and indispensable resource for the practitioner of social change.
Reader's Comments
To read a review by Chris Partridge, Kinharvie Facilitator: Click here
Dear Authors,
I appreciate the book so much. Thank you so much for collaborating on this work. It is great to have such a comprehensive guide. I now do not have to be scrambling all over my library to get a snapshot of the possible strategies I might use in my designs. Again thank you and I wish you the
very best in all that you do.
— John Inman Ed.M., M.A., PHR, DDPE
Developing leaders and cultures that thrive in complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity
Sammamish, WA
"Very convincing….I don't think I have seen anything as methodologically clear and practical as this before."
— Walter Spielmann for the Robert-Jungk-Library
"It was good to read your views in the book Mapping Dialogue. I wish I could have more books written by you!"
— With love in Christ,
The Rev. Benjamin Mbago,
Diocese of the Rift Valley,
The Anglican Church of Tanzania
PO Box 273 MANYONI TANZANIA
"This book is intended to expand the idea of dialogue through the numerous tools as they exist today in the world. The authors invite the reader into a journey around the multiple tools developed to enhance rich, controversial, evolutionary dialogue in organizations, communities, families, political and social settings. The book gives an accurate approach of each tool, complete with a method fingerprint intended to give the reader an overall view and appreciation of the value and insight of every tool presented. A captivating tool of tools, relevant for students, leaders, social workers and educators, as well as other lay persons."
— Alain Robiolio, Switzerland
"The value of this book lies in its conciseness. At the same time, it provides a tremendously profound overview. You get instant overview and insight at the same time."
— Dr. Matthias zur Bonsen, Germany
A Review by Rocio Chaveste, Mexico (2011)
In the midst of this globalized world in which we live, the book invites us to think about Dialogue as a tool to generate democratic spaces with shared meanings. Mapping Dialogue: Essential Tools for Social Change, was written by three women and one man who met, in the summer of 2005, to talk about supporting the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s Dialogue work in South Africa. The objective, as describe in the introduction, is to share “dialogue methods applicable to face-to-face gatherings of groups of people meeting to address collective social challenges”.
More than a theoretical treatise about dialogue, this book reads as a handbook for practitioners. However, it presents in the first section called Foundations, some necessary principles to take into account as we embark in the process of facilitating social change for groups, organizations and communities independently of their size. In the second part the authors describe, step by step, 10 different methods including examples of their use and a brief discussion of each one. In addition to these, they introduce us briefly to other ways of being with each other that run from Deep Ecology developed by Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess, to the Theatre of the Oppressed as practiced since the 1950’s in Brazil.
The last section, called Epilogue, engages us with their reflections on dialogue and community and its meaning in Southern Africa. The book is a must for those of us who are deeply involved in the process of co-constructing a better future for all.
