Peter, I don't think the best way to describe action research is bottom up. In my reading right now there really is no bottom and there is no up - action research is an attempt more I think to reorganize community, to move it away from stratification and pre-determined ideas about the way things should be. But I think Martin is right. What happens when the community has been created to oppress a group. Is the best thing to do then really to teach reorganization of the community if the community itself is corrupt and geared towards marginalizing groups - if part of the community is treated like an object. In that case shouldn't it be about creating a new community out of dangling strands? I think this is a tension in action research and one not easily answered - perhaps similar to the tension between Gadamer and Habermas - how much credit do you give the human condition. Theorists have a role to play if they are invited in and they are trusted by the community - they also have a role to play because action research goes wrong so often and the process of change becomes stuck and people become frustrated. But theory or science or academics don't hold a position of privelege in the process. They are simply part of the process. Michael ________________________________ From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu on behalf of Peter Smagorinsky Sent: Tue 7/17/2012 3:39 PM To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity Subject: RE: [xmca] Understanding is no method but rather a form ofcommunication So, just wondering, if action research is truly a bottom-up activity, why go to theorists to justify it? Peter Smagorinsky<http://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/vita/vitaweb.htm> Distinguished Research Professor<http://www.ovpr.uga.edu/docs/policies/iga/DRP-Guidelines.pdf> of<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/of> English Education<http://www.coe.uga.edu/lle/english/secondary/index.html> Department of Language and Literacy Education<http://www.coe.uga.edu/lle/english/secondary/index.html> The University of Georgia<http://www.uga.edu/> 309 Aderhold Hall<http://www.coe.uga.edu/about/directions.html> Athens<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens,_Georgia>,<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/> GA<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(U.S._state)> 30602<http://www.city-data.com/zips/30602.html> Advisor, Journal of Language and Literacy Education<http://jolle.coe.uga.edu/> Follow JoLLE on twitter @Jolle_uga From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Martin Packer Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 2:23 PM To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity Subject: Re: [xmca] Understanding is no method but rather a form of communication Hi Larry, I think Gadamer made a valuable contribution to the philosophy and theory of hermeneutics, and showed the importance of interpretation in all fields. But there are, to my thinking, limitations to his analysis that suggest to me that one has to turn elsewhere for a basis for action research. Mainly, there is no place for systematic *mis*understanding in Gadamer's hermeneutics. He presumes a community of like-minded people, united in mutual understanding. it would be nice, I suppose, if life were like that, but surely it is not. In most places there is 'an Other who *is* an object for the subject,' to play with the words you quoted from Gadamer. The debates between Gadamer and Habermas in the 1970s centered around the issue of whether there is a place for critique in hermeneutics. Here's one good summary of the debate: Mendelson, J. (1979). The Habermas-Gadamer debate. New German Critique, 18, 44-73. Martin On Jul 17, 2012, at 12:58 PM, Larry Purss wrote: > I have been reflecting on action research and the turn it took into > discussing voice, tone of voice, and the loss or extinguishing of voice > when others are marginalized. > > I came across this statement from Gadamer who wrote the foreword to the > book "Introduction to Philosophical Hermeneutics" by Jean Grondin. > > "So, understanding is no method but rather a form of community among those > who understand each other. Thus a DIMENSION is OPENED up that is not just > one among many FIELDS of inquiry but rather constitutes the PRAXIS OF LIFE. > > Gadamer is exploring the 2nd person voice and putting it play with the 1st > person and 3rd person voice. > > I wanted to abstract this dis-position towards the 2nd voice. I want to now > embed this statement in its context. Gadamer wrote, > > "But it was only when Dilthey and his school gained influence on the > phenomenological movement that understanding was no longer MERELY > juxtaposed with conceptualization and explanation."[Gadamer, foreword] > > In other words, understanding came to be seen as constituting the very > fundamental structure of human becoming-in-the-world and moved to the very > center of philosophy. > > "Thereby subjectivity and self-consciousness lost their primacy. Now there > is an Other who is not an object for the subject - but someone to whom we > are BOUND in the reciprocations of language and life. So, understanding is > no method but rather a form of COMMUNITY among those who understand each > other. Thus a dimension is opened up that is not just one among many fields > but rather constitutes the praxis of life." [Gadamer, foreword] > > Gadamer's tone of voice may have something to contribute to action research. > > Larry > __________________________________________ > _____ > xmca mailing list > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca@weber.ucsd.edu> > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca __________________________________________ _____ xmca mailing list xmca@weber.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca@weber.ucsd.edu> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
<<winmail.dat>>
__________________________________________ _____ xmca mailing list xmca@weber.ucsd.edu http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca