An invitation to social construction

Preface

1. Social Construction: Revolution in the Making

Together We Construct our Worlds

Origins of Social Construction

Objectivity: The Crisis of Value Neutrality

Reason on the Run: The Literary Assault

Scientific Knowledge as Communal Construction

From Despair to New Directions

Cultural Imperialism

Knowledge and the New Totalitarianism

The Present Volume

Reflection

Further Resources

2. Constructing the Real and the Good

The Language We Live By

Language Structure: The Nourishing Constraint

Metaphors: Borrowing and Building

Narrative: Reality as Story

Rhetoric and Reality

Everyday Relations: The Power of the Unremarkable

Institutional Realities: Foucault on Power

Identity Politics: To Be or Not To Be

Reflection

Further Resources

3. Horizons of Human Enquiry

Empirical Research in Question

Fruits of Empirical Research

Research Traditions in Transformation

Ethnography and Cultural Understanding

New Histories

Discourse Study: Exploring Constructed Worlds

Narrative: Exploring Life Constructions

Discourse in Action: The Self as a Conversational Achievement

Imagination in Action: Qualitative Enquiry

Autoethnography

Collaborative Enquiry

Action Research: Social Change in Motion

Performance as Enquiry

Reflection

Further Resources

4. The Relational Self

Generative Theory

The Self in Question

Individualism: Separation and its Discontents

The Problem of Isolated Selves

Narcissism and Others as Instruments

Relationships as Artificial

The Tragedy of All Against All

The Exploitation of Nature

The Power Problem

Narrowing the Range of Understanding

Self as Relationship: First Steps

Symbolic Interaction: Inter-subjective Selves

Dramaturgy: The Self on Stage

Cultural Psychology: Carrying On

Self as Relationship: The Emerging Vision

Meaning in Relationships

The Relational Mind

Mental Discourse as Performance

Performances as Relational

Reflection

Further Resources

5. Dialogue: Conflict and Transformation

Understanding as a Relational Achievement

Multi-Being: What Shall We Become Together?

Dialogue and Difference

From Argumentation to Mediation: Hopes and Hesitations

Toward Transformative Dialogue

The Public Conversations Project

From Blame to Relational Responsibility

The Significance of Self-Expression

Affirming the Other

Coordinating Action: The Challenge of Co-Reflecting

Self-Reflection: The Resources of Multi-being

The Co-Creation of New Worlds

Reflection

Further Resources

6. A Profusion of Practices

Education: Collaboration and Community

Collaborative Classrooms

Polyvocal Expression: Communicating to All

Critical Deliberation

Therapy as Social Construction

Solution Focused Therapy: The Power of the Brief Encounter

Narrative Therapy

Polyvocality: Expanding Possibilities

From Diagnosis to Dialogue

Making Meaning in Organizations

Collaborative Decision Making

From Leadership to Relational Leading

Scholarship: Writing as Relationship

Embodied Writing

The Polyvocal Author: Who am I?

Invocation: Stirring Voices

Toward Open Expression

Reflection

Further Resources

7. Social Construction in Question

Realism: "But there is a World Out There!"

The Question of Mental States: Neuroscience to the Rescue

Is Constructionism Self-Defeating?

The Challenge of Moral Relativism

What is Worth Doing?: The Challenge of a Nourishing Life

Social Construction and Scientific Progress

Reflection

Further Resources

References

Index