[OSList] Articles on dialogue in different cultures

Wed Jan 18 18:18:50 PST 2012

Hi Bui,

I am traveling and don't have access to my books. I think the book is
Council of the Grandmothers. My apologies for no clear reference on this one
'context/container'. 

Birgitt

From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Bui Petersen
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 1:54 PM
To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: Re: [OSList] Articles on dialogue in different cultures

Beautiful Birgitt,

Do you happen to know of any written sources describing this practice?

Thanks,

Bui

On 18/01/2012 2:56 PM, Birgitt Williams wrote: 

Hi Bui,

I love that quote. My experience is that this kind of circle work without
the apparent leader, no decisions, and everyone participating is always
conducted within a context or container. The context or container, I think,
has had insufficient attention. For example, in many North American tribes,
the group who sat together were men. Behind each of the men in the circle
was a grandmother, not necessarily present physically in the outside of the
circle, but definitely there. And if the man, maybe a circle of chiefs, did
not perform well in the circle, then after the circle was done, he had to
answer to the grandmother, who could even remove him from his role.

I have devoted a lot of my attention to the context and the container within
which the participatory circle takes place..and am fascinated by this
dimension of the success of the participatory circle work.

Best,

Birgitt Williams

www.dalarinternational.com

www.genuinecontact.net 

From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Bui Petersen
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 12:37 PM
To: World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: Re: [OSList] Articles on dialogue in different cultures

Thanks Birgitt,

I'm mostly interesting in what is universal (i.e. option 2.) As someone who
has moved around a fair amount myself, I can certainly identify with your
experience.

I am particularly inspired by the following quote attributed to David Bohm
(supposedly from "On Dialogue" but it is not it my copy of the book):

>From time to time, (the) tribe (gathered) in a circle.  They just talked and
talked and talked, apparently to  no purpose.  They made no decisions.
There was no leader.  And everybody could participate. There may have been
wise men or wise women that were listened to a bit more - the older ones -
but everybody  could talk. The meeting went on, until it finally seemed to
stop for no reason at all and the group dispersed. Yet after that, everybody
seemed to know what to do, because they understood each other so well.  They
could get together in smaller groups and do something or decide things.

Bui

On 18/01/2012 12:33 PM, Birgitt Williams wrote: 

One consideration...it is important to distinguish whether you wish to focus
on 
1.what is different among different cultures
OR
2.what is universal and the same among the entire human race

I personally spent years attempting to understand what was different and
spent three years of training as a cultural interpreter. I finally figured
out that unless I was deeply 'in' a culture, I could not really understand.
I find this even in my own life. I was born in Germany, yet because I moved
to Canada when I was two, I don't totally understand the German culture or
forms of dialogue. Because I was an immigrant into Canada, I also never came
to fully understand the Canadian culture of ways of dialogue. And then I
moved to the southeastern USA some years ago and still am finding my way
after 12 years to understand this culture and the nuances of dialogue. I
have spent some considerable time in India and in Africa...and the same
findings.

So, after all of my investigations to the cultural differences, when I was
putting together our workshop modules, I focused on what is universal, what
is the same. We are all members of the human race and what is the same is in
us all. 

Blessings,
Birgitt Williams
www.dalarinternational.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Bui Petersen
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 7:31 AM
To: 76066.515 at compuserve.com; World wide Open Space Technology email list
Subject: Re: [OSList] Articles on dialogue in different cultures

I intend to have them do that but it is part of an academic course. So 
it is required to be at least a little bit academic. Thanks for the 
suggestion though. :)

Bui

On 17/01/2012 10:40 PM, doug wrote:

Bui--

Permit me to borrow the hat from the man and ask: Why have them read
about it and listen to someone talking about it? Instead you could have
them do dialogue and then report out what it was like and what they
learned....

Or not....

<Handing hat back to the man>

                 :- Doug.

On Tue, 2012-01-17 at 16:23 -0330, Bui Petersen wrote:

Hi fellow OSers,

I have been ask to present a talk about on dialogue as part of
university course on Cross-cultural communication. I am thinking that it
may be interesting to talk about dialogue and how some of the approaches
we use are influenced by traditions from different cultures (e.g.
circles, OS marketplace, etc.). The intent to assign reading for the
students prior to the class, but it is proving to be a bit more
difficult than expected to find articles on this topic. There are lots
of sources on how people from the "west" have gone to other countries to
do dialogue, but I have found very little describing traditional
dialogue, neither theory or practice. (one likely problem is that what I
am referring to as "dialogue" may well be called something else in the
literature).

Does anyone have any suggestions? Theoretical sources are OK too.

Always grateful for the generous help from this list. Thanks!

Bui Petersen

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