Page 7 - Mike Ratner CC - WISR Complete Dissertation - v6

Prologue

I am obsessed with exploring enduring questions of American life and Western political thought.

How is it that the world’s wealthiest country and greatest debtor nation that has ever existed able

to endure despite constant infighting, divisiveness and lack of goal direction? The partisan split in

America is the highest it has been in decades, with Republicans and Democrats holding vastly

disparate views on race, immigration and the role of government, according to studies measuring

attitudes on policy issues and political values going back to 1994, and its latest check-in finds —

perhaps unsurprisingly — that Americans are more divided than ever. (Pew 2017)

My interest ranges from examining common everyday expressed concerns to obscure

impacts of alienation and oppression affecting contemporary life in society and discovering “the

how” to address crucial social issues. To gain the best insight possible for my study, this author

implemented a number of initiatives in which research explored the interactions and experiences

of participants and facilitators in civic engagement. The study began with a close observation in

the form of participatory dialogue where the processes of interactions and exchanges including

tension and conflict as noted were examined as issues of concern were addressed. This dissertation

evolves around twin aspects found within one primary question which asks participants interacting

in a group dialogue exactly: What is your experience of engagement and how do you recognize

yourself in the role of a participant (or facilitator) as you are present in the dialogue? The answers,

while very personal I’ve found can affect the group process as well as the outcome. This

sensitivity includes an extensive focus on facilitators in civic deliberative dialogue as it was crucial

to add that dimension in my research as it reveals how self-awareness interplays among guiding a

group into awareness as they move collectively through tensions, uncertainty, and disagreements

that often arise during dialogue initiatives to cohesiveness, cooperation and better understanding.

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