Love as Ernancipatory Praxis: An Exploration of Practitioners' Conceptualizations of Love in Critical Social Work Practice by Michele Carrie Butot B.Ed. University of Calgary, 1985 B.S.W. University of Calgary, 1988 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK Michele Carrie Butot, 2004 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. Supervisor: Dr. M. Moosa-Mitha This thesis explores the relationship between love and critical social work, with the intent of inserting the concept of 'love as ernancipatorypraxis' into the literature of critical social work, and in order to incite dialogue with other practitioners. This thesis draws on reconstructionist notions of research, and involves dialogues with a group of practitioners - diverse across gender, race, age, sexuality, and class background. Central to the discussions were notions of spirituality as interconnection, and intersubjectivity grounded in critical analysis. Participants in the dialogues felt that love was not onlythe context of their practice, but was in fact essential to all their ways of perceiving, being and doing. From these dialogical discussions, a critical, emancipatory conceptualization of love emerged as a possibility existing between a constellation of elements including: deep presence and engagement; recognition of intrinsic value, sacredness and interconnection; openheartedness; compassionate challenge; and a willingness not to know. ... lll TABLE OF CDNTENTS ... TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................u ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .........................................................................................................v Love as Emancipatory Praxis: Intmduction ................................................................. 1 Background To The Question: ..................................... ... .........................................................1 The Research Question: .............................................................................................................2 Purpose. Methodology and Method: ........................................................................................ 2 Outline of the Chapters: ............................................................................................................3 Chapter One: A Conversation With Litemtures On Love. Critical Practice. Intersubjectivity.. and Spirituality .................................................................................. 6 &tical Practice:.............................................................................................................................. 8 Intersubjectivity:........................................................................................................................ 15 Initial Conceptualization OfLove In Practice .......................................................................... 18 Literatures On Love And Intersubjectivity As Spirituality...................................................... 20 Background on Aboriginal Approaches to Social Work: ....................................................22 Background... on... Engaged Buddhism... in Relation to Critical Social Work: ........................ 24 Revsitmg Subjectivity and Intersubjectivity: ........................................................................28 Interim Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 31 Chapter Two: Methodology and Method .................................................................... 34 Research question: ....................................................................................................................34 Purpose of the research: ...........................................................................................................34 Methodological. Concerns . ............................................................................................................35 Framing the mqulry: .................................................................................................................35 Locating the Inquiry ................................................................................................................36 The seventh moment: ...............................................................................................................38 Method ............................................................................................................................................. 39 Active Interviewmg:. .................................................................................................................. 41 Researcher-Participant. Relationships: ....................................................................................42 Participant Selection: ................................................................................................................43 Preparing for the Dialogues: ...................................................................................................46 The Dialogues:........................................................................................................................... 47 Post-dialogue Process: ..............................................................................................................52 Integrity & Ethics in research: ................................................................................................54 A Note on Description and Interpretation of the Dialogues:............................................ 57 What love 'is' or 'isn't'; a note about language, love and domination: .............................. 58 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................61 Chapter Three: Love as... Spirituality ............................................................................. 63 Framing Love as Spmtuahty and... Interconnection: ..............................................................63 First... Nations and Buddhist. spmtuahty .................................................................................65 Spmahty and rehgion: ............................................................................................................66 Chapter Fouc Love As A Mode Of Being In Intersubjective Relationship ................ 71 Love as Compassion, Caring, and Mattering: ....................................................................... 71 Loving, not Liking: ...................................................................................................................73 Open heartedness: .....................................................................................................................75 Love as an Antidote to 'Compassion Fatigue': .....................................................................76 Relationships with Self and Others: .......................................................................................77 a . Love as Embodied Intersubjectivity, Connection and Relationship: ....................... 77 b . Mutual Change:. ................................................................................................................81 c . Relationship mth Self: .....................................................................................................82 Chapter Five: Love as .Critical . Pmctice .......................................................................84 The 'Human Condition': ..........................................................................................................84 a . Seeing humanity beyond or below social construction:.............................................. 84 b . Resistance and Barriers to Love as Praxis: ...................................................................87 c . Love as Necessary: ...........................................................................................................90 Affecting Change: .....................................................................................................................92 a .Love as Liberation:........................................................................................................... 93 b . Acceptance, non-attachment and non-interference as change: ................................. 94 c . Compassionate challenge: ...............................................................................................97 d . Trust. in. the organic process of change as life force unfolding: ................................99 e . Staymg m the game: .......................................................................................................... 99 Chapter Six: (Re)Conce. ptualizing . Love In Critical Pmctice ..................................... 101 101 Love as principled. cntical practice:. ...................................................................................... Love as spmtually-informed. ... cntical practice: .....................................................................103 (Re)conceptuahmg love m cntlcal practice: ....................................................................... 104 Participant response to the initial conceptualization: ........................................................105