I don't know of any other doctorate to be awarded to a practitioner-researcher during 
this e-seminar so it is a particular  pleasure to include the Abstract of  Dr. Marian 
Naidoo's thesis in our Archive.  Marian had a successful viva-voce  examination 
yesterday, the examiners' recommendations were accepted by the University of Bath 
today and Marian graduates  next Tuesday.  Delighted congratulations to Marian.

Abstract  of Ph.D. Thesis of Marian Naidoo

I am Because We Are (My never-ending story).
The emergence of a living theory of inclusional and responsive practice

I believe that this original account of my emerging practice demonstrates how I have 
been able to turn my ontological commitment to a passion for compassion into a 
living epistemological standard of judgement by which my inclusional and 
responsive practice may be held accountable.

I am a story teller and the focus of this narrative is on my learning and the 
development of my living educational theory as I have engaged with 
others in a creative and critical practice over a sustained period of time.
This narrative self-study demonstrates how I have encouraged people to 
work creatively and critically  in order to improve the way we relate and 
communicate in a multi-professional and multi-agency healthcare setting in order to 
improve both the quality of care provided and the well being of the system.

In telling the story of the unique development of my inclusional and responsive 
practice I will show how I have been influenced by the work of theatre practitioners 
such as Augusto Boal, educational theorists such as Paulo Freire and drawn on, 
incorporated and developed ideas from complexity theory and  living theory action 
research. I will also describe how my engagement with the thinking of others has 
enabled my own practice to develop and from that to develop a living, inclusional 
and responsive theory of my practice. Through this research and the writing of this 
thesis, I now also understand that my ontological commitment to a passion for 
compassion has its roots in significant events in my past.