VALEDICTORY ADDRESS
Prof. Dr. Alan Fowler
Civic Driven Change: Where From?
Where Now? Where Next?
The Address
Civic Driven Change
Is about designing and wearing better
spectacles to see, understand, think about
and act on socio-political processes.
The Flow
• Where From?
– Motivation, process, lessons
• Where Now?
– The CDC spectacles
• Where Next?
– Moving CDC to Civic Innovation
Where From? CDC Motivations
Where From? CDC Trajectory 2007-2013
Where From? CDC Theory
At a certain moment CDC needed more
theoretical embedding. Drawing on the work
of many others, two ‘families’ were identified:
– Foundational theories, including the ontology of
‘civic’
– Action theories related to citizens and
empowerment.
Both required a (long) historical view.
Where From? Locating CDC in Theories
CDC Where From? Lessons
Where Now? The CDC Spectacles
Where Now? Domains
A domain:
- sets out the terrain of interest.
- has ‘root’ and proximate causes.
- has system boundaries.
- needs meaningful time frames.
- Invites attention to scale(s).
Where Now? The Propositions
Four propositions provide the ‘materials’ that
make up the a CDC domain frame.
Societies are political projects – all people’s
behaviours contribute to political effects
Civic is understood as pro-social behaviours that
respect differences between people with a
concern beyond self
Dreams or unfulfilled imagined futures are sources of
civic energy
Socio-political change is complex, requiring a nondeterministic view
Where Now? Lenses - Politics
Frames hold lenses. In CDC these are the made
up by four types of politics:
The politics of belonging
The politics of action
The politics of scale
The politics of knowledge with communication
Where Now? Focal Points - Power
Lenses have focal points. For CDC these are categories of power from a citizen’s
perspective , experience and aspiration.
Power Expressions/
Power Processes
Power Within
Power With
Power To
Power Over
Socio-psychological
forming
Self-empowering
acculturation and
socialisation
Associating for public
action
Select and live a selfdetermined identity
Assertion in society as a
personal and joint political
project
Creating a shared
vocabulary
Promote or challenge
discourses
Diversifying and gaining
access to information
(Co-)determining
conventions, laws and
policies
(Bourdieu and Biko)
Controlling
Language
Applying critical
interpretation
(Chomsky)
Controlling Rules
Applying coercion
Knowing and asserting
rights and interests
Negotiating collective
purposes and outcomes
Challenge exclusion
Questioning expectations
of self-compliance
Adopting protective
collaboration
Opposing unaccountable
authority
(Marx and Rawls)
The application of
public instruments
for compliance
(Weber)
Where Next? CDC to CIRI #1
The Civic Innovation Research Initiative (CIRI) is a
coming together of three research strands:
- markets
- sexuality
- politics
Institutions are a shared point of reference as is a
commitment to multi and inter-disciplinarity.
The forthcoming CIRI forum will be an important
event to help build a house with these qualities.
Where Next? CDC to CIRI #2
In Conclusion
CDC has many parents! Literally hundreds of
people have shaped what CDC is today and
will continue to do so. To them, my thanks.
And CDC has a home at ISS amongst many
people who have made my time as an affiliate
professor so personally rewarding. To them
my appreciation.
An Ending is a Beginning
An Aspiring Pracademic
Towards a Retiring Pracademic