Participatory Practice
Figure 3.4: An integrative model of our experience of the world through a participative lens
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Subjective experience of thoughts, emotions, memories, states of mind, etc. Immediate sensations
Objectively observable behaviour of the material in space and time
Intentional
Behavioural
Cultural
Socio-ecological
Intersubjectivity shared values, meanings, language, relationships and culture
Intersubjective patterns and processes (e.g. systems, networks, government, biophysical, environment)
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Source: Adapted from Wilber et al (2008) and Wahl (2016)
So, what does thinking participatively really mean for our practice? Thinking participatively means focusing on process, while holding a vision and intention regarding the world we want to live in but not holding on to a specific outcome. It is about placing relationship at the centre of all we do. Relationships with each other and the living world are predicated on a set of values and principles that are about reciprocity, respect and caring. It is about being conscious that everything is connected both across and between levels, and that any action can have consequences elsewhere. It therefore means engaging in relational practices and creating spaces where people can hear their own voices and then see the larger system of which they are part. It is also about asking questions, and not just of others but of ourselves. In this way we can change the patterns of thinking that are the source of how we act in the world. But most of all it is about seeing ourselves as part of the living world regeneration. The old ways of thinking are no longer adequate, and have left us with a world that is emotionally hollow, aesthetically meaningless and spiritually empty (Goodwin, 2007). In the next chapter, we explore examples of where people are increasingly engaging in participatory practice in a non-participatory world but, while in the past, they were finding resistance to change, there are now signs that participatory practice is breaking out everywhere. 90