Dear All,

Three reflections on the shared reading idea . . . one positive, one
negative and one neutral (ish) . . . 

During 2005 a group of us with an interest in community psychology in
Scotland have been meeting in person to discuss community psychology
reading matter and more or less at the same time a group associated with
the community psychology programme at Waikato University, New Zealand,
have been reading the same material. I at least have found this very
interesting. In theory we have then been exchanging views about the
reading between Scotland and NZ but in practice this exchange has been
tokenistic and patchy. Partly that may be because it has relied upon
someone taking notes, getting them agreed by one group and sending them
to the other group (and vice versa) with all the time delays involved.
Online discussion has potential to get round that problem (if it was
one). 

On the other hand, I suggest that simply changing the list task from the
sort of discussion we have been having on the list to discussing shared
reading will NOT be likely to address the problems to which list members
have been drawing attention. If we start discussing shared reading, it
seems likely that the same social structuring which privileges some
voices over others outside the list, will be reproduced in it again. Why
is it any the less likely that older white credentialed males will
engage in highly abstract debate using excluding and disabling jargon to
dominate discussion of shared reading than it has been that they have
been so far? How could we make the shared reading discussions more
'safe' for any who are currently reluctant to post because they feel it
is unsafe. Views on shared reading are after all likely to be as
polarised and strongly felt and expressed as on any other issue? The
Scottish reading groups discussion of reading tended to be at least,
maybe more, critically exacting than list discussion has been in my view


Bringing the two suggestions together, a feature of NZ community
psychologists is that they are much less likely than our list members to
be from a clinical background and much more likely to draw upon and
constitute a community psychology which is strong on surfacing and
contesting cultural and gendered oppression. 

As regards reading material . . .there are lots of interesting
suggestions already. However I would suggest that at least at first it
is important the reading should be a) very readily (preferably
electronically) available (or many list members will not be able to
locate it); b) short (otherwise many list members may not have time to
read it); c) reasonably accessible (otherwise many list members will be
excluded) and d) of wide relevance and interest (otherwise many will
ignore it). One interesting thought is that this could develop into a
sort of critical-scholarship-activism. If we discussed a policy document
we could perhaps feed a summary of the conclusions forward in various
forms (letters to newspapers, replies to consultation documents etc). If
we discussed recent academic papers we could perhaps feed a summary of
the conclusions forward to the journal as a reply. 

I wish a very Merry Criticalmas to everyone,

David

David Fryer
Community Psychology Group
University of Stirling
FK9 4LA 
Scotland
+44 (0) 1786 467650 (tel)
+44 (0) 1786 467641 (fax)
[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Thorne Lisa (Devon
Partnership NHS Trust)
Sent: 21 December 2005 1:41 pm
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] Shared reading


Hello all
I really like the idea of us (well, whoever would like to) 
reading something and then hearing different people's 
responses to it.  I think that it would help me become more 
involved in the list, in that i would feel more confident 
about having something to say.  

Hopefully it might also draw out the other 'silent' members 
of the list.  One reason that I often stay silent is that I 
don't quite know who i am communicating with and can easily 
feel threatened by the dominant voices.  I joined the list 
hoping for the opportunity to expand my community psychology 
knowledge and thinking, to be challenged and to be inspired -  this is
and has been happening.  However, I would love to 
be coaxed out of my silence and would find the shared 
reading a safe place to start!

Best wishes to everyone over the holidays and for the coming 
New Year!

Lisa

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