Understanding Multipartiality in Intergroup Dialogue Part 5: Appreciative Inquiry

This post is the fifth of a seven-part series on understanding multipartiality in Intergroup Dialogue, as explained by Roger Fisher.

In this video, Roger discusses the practice of inquiry as a way to combat cultural exploitation in dialogue, with a special focus on avoiding and interrupting the practices of inquiry as interrogation, making participants feel like they’re on display, or the sole object of learning or curiosity for others, what Roger calls “the museum effect”.

Roger also covers four key pillars of appreciative or affirming inquiry for facilitators as a way to balance social power, including:

• Shared/mutual risk-taking or vulnerability in dialogue.
• Shared/mutual responsibility for contributions in dialogue.
• Shared/mutual benefit from dialogue.
• My need and/or desire to learn, know, or experience, is not more important than the agency of others to answer my inquiries. “My inquiry is less important than your agency to decide to answer my questions.” People with marginalized identities are not responsible for educating those with privileged identities. They get to decide how, and when they will share.

Ubuntu,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins-Jones

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