Journal of Awareness-Based Systems Change

Abstract

The editorial of this second issue of the Journal of Awareness-Based Systems Change is entitled "Moving from Transactional to Relational," which we read as one of the central themes running through all of the contributions in this issue. In amplifying the voices of the authors, we contend that we have been confined and restrained by western and hegemonic notions of rationalism, reductionism, empiricism, mechanism, dualism, and causality for too long. Speaking from a relational body of knowing the various contributions assembled here represent attempts to reevaluate the ontological and epistemological positions and foundations that make up the fabric of social institutions and systems. They also suggest ways forward that hold the potential to tap into and activate the transformative potential that lies within people and systems.

From Domination to Dialogue and the Ethics of the Between: Transforming Human-Working Equine Relationships in Mountain Tourism

“…This allows the oppressor mindset rooted in the necessity of conquest, where "to be is to have", to be named and unmasked (Wink, 1992) and made available for inquiry. In the second part, this paper presents an alternative that is distinct from the ways Human Animal Studies scholars have considered human thought within multi-species relations (McVey, 2017), drawing on an established Action Research approach (Arts et al, 2021;Koenig et al, 2021) that delivers transformational change through deep listening. This approach draws its inspiration from Martin Buber's dialogical encounter with a horse to explicate how turning to the I-Thou can transform our selves (the I) and our relational practices.…”