Bridges+Perspectives

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 * BRIDGES: ** Building Bridges Between Communities Across Time & Space
 * Personal Perspectives **

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 * **Pages in this project:**

=Aldo de Moor=

I am particularly interested in everything "boundary" here: boundary objects, processes, tools, roles (gatekeepers, etc.). In other words, entities that act as bridges, while having different interpretations in the various communities. = = =Andrew= = = =Amalia=

Bridges in a phrase: using technology to connect and/or create new spaces of understanding and collaboration for people in divided communities, with a history of hatred, rejection or conflict. "Bridges" is a very evocative name, since it reflects two types of bridges and bridging : across time, linking past and present; and across space, re-connecting or creating new spaces for dialogue – both accomplishable at the level of each community and between two/several communities. // How ? // Amazingly, our short workshop interaction covered essential aspects for defining a possible approach to putting this vision into practice; and (was it good chance?) the Liberating Voices cards we happened to have in our hands made our case. I will just highlight **5 key aspects,** all already emerged during the workshop, selected for their illustrative power in answering the question: how can the Bridges project achieve its vision - //create new spaces of understanding and dialogue between communities in conflict?// This is just one way of seeing them (and the associated Liberating voices cards), leading to a possible course of action, with the three project phases in mind. The raw material for any creative, reflective or interpretive endeavour. Memory is at the same time the ground shaping the identity of the two communities //and// the cause of their current conflictual state. Hence if there is any change or new understanding to be reached, it should start from here. Collective memory of each community is perpetuated via the transmission of representations, either in tangible or intangible form. The conflictual state between the two communities is also reinforced through the perpetuation of representations which serve to constantly recall events or principles justifying the rejection and hatred. Representation is one ladder up from memory, the soil on which Bridges project can start making a change, by stimulating attention to existing representations, and assisting community members to create new interpretations/representations. How to act on representations? A ladder up again, storytelling allows active recall of the past, and control over representations through conscious intentional expression. It can stimulate active exploration of each community’s past, and the emergence of new attitudes that can break the cycle of hatred perpetuated historically. Phase #1, but also, perhaps, #2, depending on what turn the dialogue between communities can take. Though the card in this case suggests individual retreat and reflection, the Bridges project, with its stress on the collective dimension, can help create spaces that favour interaction and exchange intra- and inter-community, either for stimulating reflection or for sharing insights that result therein. Reflection can be an essential part in each of the three phases, but especially in #1 : favouring heightened understanding of each community’s past, through distance taking and critical view of what had been either taken for granted or implicit assumptions ; and #2 : for stimulating the same process on the opposite community. The coming together, accomplishment of the creative and reflective acts. It is actually a result of the phases before, and it is difficult to say what would make the ideal solution for each case in advance. Definitely a phase #3 building on the phases before with an element of surprise for the researchers themselves.
 * Memory (Card : Memory and responsibility) **
 * Representation (Card : Control of Self-representation) **
 * Storytelling (Card : Power of story) **
 * Reflection (Card : Retreat and reflection) **
 * Networking (Card : Community networks) **

= = =Anne= = = =Isabella= = = =Onwan= = = =Steve=

Whilst discussing what shape our proposed task could take. Isabella mentioned the Community Heritage and History project I had posted here seeking collaborators. As we discussed the theme it became clear that it had a synergy across all our cultures. New themes started to develop as we explored the the idea of bridging across time and space. What was really exciting as when we began to consider the use of common cultural and heritage links to seek to break cycle of conflict passed down through generations. That's a biggie but still worth tackling. I look forward to developing this further with everyone and I'd particularly like to explore whether we could turn any theoretical concepts we develop into practice. It's great that Aldo has linked the matrix to Doug's pattern cards. I think we should also copy the text of each one to individual wiki pages so that we can edit the text and add stuff. In many of them the body of the text contained themes that were even more appropriate than the title of the Pattern