Facilitating Change Through Intergroup Dialogue: Social Justice Advocacy in Practice

175 Pages·2018·1.66 MB·English

by  Kristie A. Ford

Facilitating Change through
Intergroup Dialogue
In order both to prepare for an increasingly diverse society and to help students
navigate diverse learning environments, many institutions of higher educa-
tion have developed programs that support student learning and competencies
around inter- and intra-group relations. Facilitating Change through Intergroup
Dialogue: Social Justice Advocacy in Practice traces the impact of Intergroup
Dialogue (IGD) courses on peer-facilitators who delivered Skidmore College’s
IGD curricula over a five-year period. Through a series of in-depth qualitative
interviews and auto-ethnographies, this book explores how former IGD facili-
tators are applying what they learned to their personal and professional lives
three to five years post-college. By exploring facilitators’ application of IGD
skills, understanding of social justice, and the challenges inherent in this work,
Facilitating Change through Intergroup Dialogue offers concrete strategies for sup-
porting undergraduate students in their enduring efforts towards justice.
Kristie A. Ford is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Intergroup
Relations Program at Skidmore College, USA.

Facilitating Change through
Intergroup Dialogue
Social Justice Advocacy in Practice
Edited by Kristie A. Ford
First published 2018
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Taylor & Francis
The right of Kristie A. Ford to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the
authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-23643-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-23644-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-30223-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Goudy
by diacriTech, Chennai
To those who came before me, paving the road for a more just
world.
To intergroup dialogue (IGD) facilitators who have taught
me so much about how to work towards social change within
themselves and others.
And, to my daughter, Kayla, who continually inspires me to do
better.

Contents
List of Figures and Tables ix
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
PART I
Contextualizing Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) Facilitation 1
1 Introduction: The Power of Dialogue 3
KRISTIE A. FORD
2 Skidmore College as a National Leader: Institutional Context
and Methods of Inquiry 16
KRISTIE A. FORD
PART II
IGD Facilitator Reflections 27
II A. Individual Narratives of Change
Preface to the Auto-Ethnographies 29
KRISTIE A. FORD
3 On Becoming a Social Justice Advocate 36
VICTORIA K. MALANEY
4 Social Justice in Action and Inaction 46
SARAH FAUDE
viii Contents
5 Leaning the True Meaning of Advocacy 54
TESHIKA R. HATCH
6 Interrogating Privilege 65
LUNA MALACHOWSKI BAJAK
7 Toward a New Operational Paradigm for Social Justice 73
STEPHEN A. BISSONNETTE
II B. Synthesizing Change Patterns: Across the Interview Data
8 Communicating Differently Post-College: An Analysis
of IGD Skills and Outcomes 85
HEATHER J. LIPKIN AND KRISTIE A. FORD
9 Working Towards Social Justice Advocacy 102
KRISTIE A. FORD AND HEATHER J. LIPKIN
10 A White Male’s Post-College Reflections on Race,
Resistance, and Social Change 123
KRISTIE A. FORD
PART III
Beyond IGD Facilitation 131
11 “I Wouldn’t Be the Person I Am Without IGR”:
Implications and Conclusions 133
KRISTIE A. FORD AND HEATHER J. LIPKIN
12 The Dialogue Continues: The Future of IGR 142
STEPHEN A. BISSONNETTE AND VICTORIA K. MALANEY
Contributors 151
Index 153
Figures and Tables
Figure 1.1 Critical-Dialogic Theoretical Model of Intergroup Dialogue 7
Table 2.1 Participant Demographics 21
Table 3.1 Summary of Auto-Ethnography Themes 30
Table 8.1 Summary of Results 86
Table 9.1 Summary of Results 103