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Narrative and Peace: a “New Story” to Address Structural Violence

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Narrative and Peace: a “New Story” to Address Structural Violence COPYRIGHT AND USE OF THIS THESIS This thesis must be used in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction of material protected by copyright may be an infringement of copyright and copyright owners may be entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. Section 51 (2) of the Copyright Act permits an authorized officer of a university library or archives to provide a copy (by communication or otherwise) of an unpublished thesis kept in the library or archives, to a person who satisfies the authorized officer that he or she requires the reproduction for the purposes of research or study. The Copyright Act grants the creator of a work a number of moral rights, specifically the right of attribution, the right against false attribution and the right of integrity. You may infringe the author’s moral rights if you: - fail to acknowledge the author of this thesis if you quote sections from the work - attribute this thesis to another author - subject this thesis to derogatory treatment which may prejudice the author’s reputation For further information contact the University’s Director of Copyright Services sydney.edu.au/copyright Narrative and Peace: a “New Story” to address structural violence by Juliet Bennett SID: 308241576 Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy March 2014 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences The University of Sydney 2 Abstract This thesis applies narrative as theory and method to explore a growing body of interdisciplinary scholarship that connects a holistic and process understanding of the world (a “New Story”) with social and ecological justice (or “positive peace”). First, the indirect violence of global poverty and environmental destruction are examined in terms of the dissipation of individual responsibility amid political, economic and social institutions. Second, a connection is made between these structural forms of violence and one-dimensional narratives. Drawing from an argument shared by process thinkers Charles Birch, Alan Watts and Thomas Berry, I critique the “Old Story” of one- dimensional religious narratives, and one-dimensional reductionistic narratives of the “Modern Story”. These stories are contrasted with a multi-dimensional and ecological worldview that Berry calls a “New Story”, which narrates an understanding of the self, humanity and the cosmos as one interconnecting process. This process understanding of the world is shown to be located in a rich and vast history of panentheistic theology. This research concludes that the narratological “New Story” engages conflicting worldviews, enables “positive conflict” and motivates action toward a long-term vision of positive peace. Key words: Structural violence, New Story, narratology, process thought, ecological worldview, panentheism, positive peace, positive conflict 3 Acknowledgements I am indebted to many people for their support, guidance, advice and encouragement throughout this research project. I wish to express a special thanks to my supervisors Lynda-Ann Blanchard and Garry Trompf. Lynda, for her nurturing of the thesis story— introducing me to the Ngarrindjeri and enabling my joint publication with them, meeting me in Vancouver coffee shops, providing an opportunity to mentor students in Tokyo, for asking tough questions, and providing constructive and detailed feedback on my drafts. Garry, for his faith in my research, for articulating the themes of my thoughts before I can pick them, for wonderful philosophical discussions, for introducing me to great thinkers and for straightening out my referencing style and confusions. I feel fortunate to have worked closely with Stuart Rees, whose wisdom, values and lifetime of work for peace with justice is an inspiration for my own, and whose timely feedback, discussions and instructions to “go to beach and scratch your head” have been vital to this thesis process. I am grateful to Michael Garbutt for introducing me to narratology and phenomenology, and to Michael Deckard, who provided me the opportunity to teach at Lenoir Rhyne University, North Carolina. I am ever grateful to Paul Custer—without whom I’d have very little understanding of Paul Ricoeur and whose encouragement and friendship throughout the last few years has been invaluable. I would like to thank my boyfriend and my friends for their patience throughout this process, for engaging with my “God talk” and for forgiving my antisocial periods. Finally, I dedicate this thesis to my family whose unconditional love and acceptance of me, regardless of my beliefs, is fully and completely reciprocated. 4 Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................... 3 CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................. 7 PART I INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 8 Mapping the Connections ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Chapter Outline ................................................................................................................................................................ 16 CHAPTER 1 WHY NARRATIVE? ................................................................................................. 20 1.1 STARTING WITH PERSONAL NARRATIVE ................................................................................. 21 1.2 NARRATIVE AS METHOD ............................................................................................................ 26 1.2.1 Storying our Lives .......................................................................................................................................... 28 1.2.2 Mythmaking ...................................................................................................................................................... 30 1.2.3 Contextualising the Observer ................................................................................................................... 35 1.3 NARRATOLOGICAL TOOLS .......................................................................................................... 38 1.3.1 Standpoints ....................................................................................................................................................... 38 1.3.2 Framing .............................................................................................................................................................. 39 1.4 A NARRATIVE INQUIRY INTO WORLDVIEWS AND PEACE ...................................................... 42 1.4.1 Worldviews and Actions ............................................................................................................................. 43 1.4.2 Narratives and Decisions ............................................................................................................................ 46 1.4.3 Narrative: Bridge or Barrier? .................................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER 2 WHAT IS PEACE? .................................................................................................... 52 2.1 EXPANDING DEFINITIONS OF PEACE ........................................................................................ 52 2.1.1 Positive Conflict .............................................................................................................................................. 56 2.1.2 “Conscientization” as Positive Conflict ................................................................................................. 58 2.2 A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE OF STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE ............................................................ 62 2.2.1 Population, Poverty and the Planet ........................................................................................................ 64 2.2.1 “A Structural Theory of Imperialism” ................................................................................................... 67 2.2.2 “The Industria Hypothesis” ....................................................................................................................... 69 2.2.3 “Tyranny of Small Decisions” .................................................................................................................... 74 2.3 CALLS FOR HOLISTIC NARRATIVE ............................................................................................. 76 5 PART II THE VIOLENCE OF ONE-DIMENSIONAL NARRATIVES ....................................... 80 CHAPTER 3 INDIRECT VIOLENCE OF AN “OLD STORY” .................................................... 84 3.1 HISTORICAL ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS ..................................................................... 85 3.2 WHAT IS THE “OLD STORY”? ..................................................................................................... 88 3.2.1 The “Old Story”: A Story
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