Luea Ritter, Marco Gyger, and Anaïs Sägesser
This paper presents our findings over the first two years of stewarding the World Ethic Forum (WEFo). It shows the interrelationality of the different schools of thought and bodies of work on which our participatory action research (PAR) is built alongside transdisciplinary approaches. This paper introduces a conceptual lens for WWEFo’sPAR, which includes the layers of different cosmologies, a relational ontology, multiple epistemologies, a relational fabric in the pluriverse, practices and capacities for visible outcomes and actions.
It explores two key components or prerequisites of this work: practices and capacities, and the relational fabric in the pluriverse. The analysis explores deeper pattern recognition, navigating power dynamics, and the importance of diverse representation, building trust and common ground and designing effective processes and social architectures.
The paper identifies the significance of surfacing deeply rooted issues, building relational capacities, and engaging with land and place. It acknowledges the inclusion of diverse voices and perspectives as essential, drawing from feminist theory and decolonising approaches to broadening collective understanding.
This paper wants to lay the groundwork for our further participatory action research in the field of co-creating a culture of care and kinship. It identifies gaps in existing knowledge and highlights required inquiry for future empirical studies and practical applications in societal transformation.
KEYWORDS: participatory action research, ecocentrism, epistemologies, relational fabric, transformative learning, practices and capacities
RSD TOPIC(S): Cases & Practice, Methods, Methodology & Theory, Socioecological Design