Creating Conversations: an Inclusive Approach to the Networking of Knowledge About Education in Southern Contexts
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Creating Conversations: An inclusive approach to the networking of knowledge about education in Southern contexts A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the Faculty of Humanities 2009 Susie Miles Acknowledgements It is not possible to name the many individuals who have helped me on this thoroughly enjoyable journey since it started so many years ago, but some deserve a special mention. The late Professor Ken Newell, of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine: for taking an interest in my work in Swaziland, and for telling thought-provoking stories which shed so much light on complex development issues. Hugo Slim and Helen Charnley, with whom I worked in Save the Children UK: for insisting that I could write and had something worthwhile to say. Disabled friends and colleagues in southern Africa from whom I learned so much about the nature of discrimination: two Basotho friends stand out in particular – Mamonyane Mohale, a community health worker who taught me more about village life in Lesotho than I could ever have learned from a book; and Ntate Thoso, one of the unsung heroes of the southern African disability movement, who died prematurely, but whose stories of growing up in an institution, and losing contact with his family, will stay with me forever. Snoeks Desmond, a South African friend and colleague: who asked why I wasn’t making connections between my autobiographical writing and the writing of this thesis, and so inadvertently set me on the road towards autoethnography. Madeline Church: whose PhD thesis demonstrated to me that it is possible to write about networking in a personal and scholarly way, while exciting and gripping the reader. Everyone in EENET: but especially Sue Stubbs for her friendship and constructive feedback, Mel Ainscow for his gentle persistence about getting this PhD done, and Ingrid Lewis for being so tolerant of my technical incompetence, and for doing the final proofread and layout of this thesis. 2 Colleagues and friends all over the world who have encouraged and supported me: but especially Andy Howes for critiquing the almost final draft of this thesis and the last journal article; and most especially Kevin Woods for being both firm and rigorous in his guidance, and for teaching me about the nature of doctoral work. Friends and family: in whose homes I have spent many hours, sometimes days, writing, when my own home was too distracting. My family: for not taking me too seriously, for reminding me what really matters in life, and for tolerating my many absences. Huge thanks and appreciation to all fellow travellers and networkers! 3 Contents Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................2 Contents ............................................................................................................4 Abstract .............................................................................................................6 Declaration ........................................................................................................7 Copyright statement .........................................................................................8 Qualifications and research statement ...........................................................9 List of publications .........................................................................................12 Jointly authored work.....................................................................................14 Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................16 1.1. Context...................................................................................................16 1.2. Introducing autoethnography..................................................................17 1.3. Ethics and validity...................................................................................20 1.4. Defining key terms..................................................................................21 Chapter 2: Networking as a strategy to address global inequality.............25 2.1. Learning about development and global inequality ................................25 2.2. Networking to promote information-sharing............................................27 2.3. Barriers to networking.............................................................................29 2.4. Networking theory ..................................................................................30 2.5. Voice and the power of writing ...............................................................35 Chapter 3: Scrutinising networking challenges and dilemmas: the case of the Enabling Education Network ...................................................................37 3.1. Introducing EENET.................................................................................37 3.2. Essential ingredients for inclusive networking ........................................39 3.2.1. Promoting consultation and participation through listening, learning and sharing.................................................................................................................. 39 3.2.2. Challenging marginalisation ....................................................................... 44 3.2.3. Producing accessible information............................................................... 46 3.2.4. Using respectful language .......................................................................... 47 3.3. Scrutinising networking dilemmas ................................................................. 48 4 Chapter 4: The role of stories in networking contextualised knowledge of inclusive education.........................................................................................53 4.1. Understanding context through stories...................................................53 4.2. Developing and sharing contextualised knowledge................................56 4.3. Researching relevant local knowledge ...................................................57 Chapter 5: Towards a theory of inclusive networking.................................61 5.1. Sharing of information, knowledge and stories between contexts ..........61 5.2. Knowledge creation: through reflection, documentation and analysis ....63 5.3. Balancing insider and outsider knowledge and perspectives .................64 5.4. Developing appropriate responses at community level ..........................65 5.5. Reflecting on my contribution to knowledge ...........................................66 Chapter 6: Conclusion....................................................................................68 Epilogue...........................................................................................................71 References.......................................................................................................75 Publications Part I ………………………………………………………………………………….80 Publication 1 ………………………………………………………………………….81 Publication 2 ………………………………………………………………………….82 Publication 3 ………………………………………………………………………….83 Publication 4 ………………………………………………………………………….84 Publication 5 ………………………………………………………………………….85 Publication 6 ………………………………………………………………………….86 Part II ………………………………………………………………………………….87 Publication A ………………………………………………………………………….88 Publication B ………………………………………………………………………….89 Publication C ………………………………………………………………………….90 Publication D ………………………………………………………………………….91 5 Abstract Creating Conversations: An inclusive approach to the networking of knowledge about education in Southern contexts, 2009 Susie Miles, PhD by Published Work, University of Manchester This thesis provides a synthesis of knowledge about inclusive networking in an international context, derived from the experience of stakeholders in education in countries of the South. It is suggested that inclusive networking facilitates the telling of stories, challenges stereotypes, humanises headlines and promotes contextually relevant research. The research question: “What are the key principles for the development of an inclusive international network?” was developed as a guide to this study. Using a process of autoethnographic analysis, I identified my tacit knowledge of inclusive networking through a continual analysis and cross-referencing of the ten publications presented here, and a wider search of the literature. This thesis is presented as a narrative in three parts. In the first part I trace my motivation for becoming involved in international networking as a strategy to address global inequality, review the literature on networking most relevant to this thesis, and identify some of the barriers to publishing faced by education stakeholders in the South. In the second part, a case study of the Enabling Education Network (EENET) is presented and a wide range of networking dilemmas identified, related to the way information is collected and shared across diverse Southern contexts. The overarching dilemmas of northern dominance and deficit thinking are discussed in the context of oral culture and the global digital and communication divide, and the difficulties in promoting genuinely critical conversations. In the third part, it is argued that contextual detail and transparency about authorship are critical to the construction of stories and accounts if they are to be meaningfully networked across diverse contexts. However, it is suggested that investing resources in the development