Journal of Dialogue Studies, Vol 5

The turn to populism in Western governments is increasingly marked by a breakdown in communication between those who disagree. Martin Buber’s analysis of I-It as the nature of communication accounts for the impersonality and incivility of populist responses to globalisation. His writings on utopias account for the lack of centre in societies formed solely around bureaucratic means of production. This article elaborates upon his concept of I-It from I and Thou and his account of the breakdown of Marxism. These point to a loss of Thou as a binding and guiding force in community, leading to the uncivil distrust and populist reactions to globalisation. Neoliberal globalisation, as with the I-It interaction, is marked by a disconnection from nature in a system that is centred around self-interest. Buber theorised his Thou as the place where humanity is reconnected with nature and joined to others in dialogue. His work points to religious community as one witness to communities where forms of dialogue and interaction lie beyond market-based solution creation and negotiation. In Buber’s work, a diagnosis for the anger and mistrust between neighbours and citizens in the present moment becomes salient: a disconnection from Thou as the organizing centre of community.

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This paper attempts to demonstrate how the Winnicottian concept of transitional progression might serve to explain similarities between Pentecostalism and Sufism by analogy of the infant- caregiver dynamic. Therefore, it is necessary to explain how maternal attunement to the infant’s biological needs support the infant’s development of a moral sense of awareness. The concept of the caregiver is a significant factor that convenes transitional progression by the practice of interplay. Hence, this method of transitional progression, according to the caregiver’s presence, is analogous to the practice of Pentecostalism and Sufism. Both denominations promote the internal regulation of ethical orientation by adhering to a care-based dynamic that serves to develop the moral compass. Wherein Pentecostal and Sufi spirituality encourage an internal effort to regulate moral attitude according to the desire to unify the heart to the presence of the Pentecostal sense of the Spirit, or the Sufi sense of the Beloved. In this way, ethical orientation is achieved by priming emotion in order to interpret what is right from wrong, transcending conscious efforts of logic and reason.

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This paper aims to offer a theoretical review of approaches to moral education and proposes a
dialogic and care-based alternative to the conventional moral education approaches. It starts
with a review and critique of the two most common approaches to moral education: traditional,
moral character education and the cognitive developmental approach. Then, it explores an
alternative strategy, Integrative Ethical Education (IEE), which prioritises dialogue and care in
education. It is suggested that the IEE approach has the potential to address the issues that
contemporary educators face.

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The word ‘dialogue,’ though in its dictionary definition the equivalent of
‘conversation,’ is most often used with a sense of purpose, usually that of bridging
a gap of some kind, ending alienation, or resolving conflict.
Like most people, I have had plenty of experience with dialogue: in my case as a
family member and as a parent, trying to reach agreements with teenagers; as a peace
activist, trying to achieve consensus in groups and committees and trying to engage
with a sceptical public; as a third party facilitator of dialogue in conflicts between
neighbours and within organisations; and, particularly, in situations of violent or
potentially violent conflict between politicians and/or armed groups. I have used
this opportunity for reflection to gather together some of the salient things I have
learnt over the years, from others involved in nonviolent activism and peace making
and from my own experience. I have focused on dialogue as something distinct
from negotiation, though the two things often overlap, especially at a point where
the focus is on practical solutions of a political nature.

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Mary Gelinas’s suitably emphatically titled ‘Talk Matters!’ is a wide-ranging, practical and passionate contribution to the building of constructive conversations. It draws on her own extensive experience in facilitation and process design as well as on insights from brain science and mindfulness practices.

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