Navigating in-group conflicts: Difference between revisions

From Le Hub/The Climate Justice Organizing HUB
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
 
(33 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
<p>Why Engage in Conflict?</p>
This page was created to support activists with navigating in-group conflicts. Conflict has a bad rep, but what comes from conflict can be very insightful, and what comes from avoidance can be detrimental to group dynamics and effectiveness. This page is a work in progress that will be added to over time. The information included comes from existing organizer databases and resources by movement thinkers. Included are reflections on why it's important to engage in conflict, and suggestions for navigating it generatively.
 
 
= Why Engage in Conflict? =
<p>“The question is not ‘how do we get rid of conflict?’ The question is ‘how do we approach it?’” -Rick Hanson</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>The following chapter presented by Prentis Hemphill, with support from the Black Lives Matter Healing Justice Working Group, describes their guiding principle around restorative justice, which'' “at its very core asks us to rethink conflict. It asks us to see conflict, not necessarily as the splinters that lead inevitably to division, but to think of conflict instead as a generative moment, an opportunity to learn something about each other and the systems that we’ve created together.”  <ref>https://blacklivesmatter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/BLM_ChapterConflict_r1.pdf</ref>  ''</p>


{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 14.4px; width: 100%; height: 513px; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 14.4px; width: 100%; height: 513px; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"
|- style="height: 110px;"
|- style="height: 110px;"
| style="width: 21.3321%; background-color: rgb(197, 31, 132); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left; height: 110px;" | '''<span style="color: #ffffff;">1. Embodying our values</span>'''
| style="width: 21.2725%; background-color: rgb(197, 31, 132); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left; height: 110px;" |
| style="width: 78.6311%; height: 110px;" |
'''<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">To make room for divergent thoughts/ideas</span>'''
*'''Disabled people are oppressed by the''' '''same systems of power we're fighting across movements. '''[[Ableism]] <span class="hardreadability"><span data-offset-key="bgqeq-1-0">denies people with a physical or mental impairment opportunities to care for themselves</span></span>. It is <span class="adverb">deeply</span> rooted in capitalism, colonialism and white supremacy.&nbsp;<br>
| style="width: 78.6907%; height: 110px;" |
*'''Access goes beyond disability.''' There's a reason primarily white folks are accessing climate activist spaces.&nbsp;
We aren’t always going to agree, and we shouldn’t. Engaging in conflict means inviting many perspectives to share. "''What if we understood that we don’t need people to think exactly like us and be exactly like us to be WITH us and build with us?”'' -Dr Ayesha Khan
*<div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="eoqjo-0-0"><span data-text="true">'''Disability justice is anti-capitalist'''. </span><span class="hardreadability"><span data-offset-key="eoqjo-1-0">It</span><span data-offset-key="eoqjo-1-1"> opposed the push for productivity, extraction and commodifying our bodies for labour and building wealth</span></span><span data-text="true">.</span><span data-text="true">&nbsp;</span></div>
|- style="height: 18px;"
|- style="height: 18px;"
| style="width: 21.3321%; background-color: rgb(197, 31, 132); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left; height: 18px;" | '''<span style="color: #ffffff;">2. Not actively unlearning and practicing = replicating oppression</span>'''
| style="width: 21.2725%; background-color: rgb(197, 31, 132); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left; height: 18px;" |
| style="width: 78.6311%; height: 18px;" |
'''<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">To develop power with one another, rather than power over.</span>'''
*<span class="veryhardreadability">'''We want to fight marginalization, not contribute to it.''' Within movement spaces, we must </span><span class="adverb">actively</span><span class="veryhardreadability"> work to unlearn behaviours that reinforce oppression to fight against it</span>. This includes practicing an access culture and challenging internalized [[ableism]], racism, homophobia etc.&nbsp;
| style="width: 78.6907%; height: 18px;" |
***Internalized [[ableism]] prompts: do we reward some people over others because they can contribute more time and effort? Do we favour their voices over those who have to care for their health, need to work a second job, have caretaking responsibilities etc.?
When power and responsibility are left on their own, conflict is more likely to arise because needs are neglected, people are pushed out etc. Reflecting on power dynamics and privilege as individuals in a group setting helps us to understand conflicts, avoid preventable consequences and encourage generative conflicts.&nbsp;
|- style="height: 74px;"
|- style="height: 74px;"
| style="width: 21.3321%; background-color: #c51f84; border-color: #000000; text-align: left; height: 74px;" | <span style="color: #ffffff;">'''3. Prioritizing and leadership of marginalized people'''</span>
| style="width: 21.2725%; background-color: rgb(197, 31, 132); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left; height: 74px;" | <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">'''To direct frustration at targets, not each other'''</span>
| style="height: 74px; width: 78.6311%;" |
| style="height: 74px; width: 78.6907%;" |
*'''The needs of those who do not benefit from our current oppressive systems must be prioritized as decision makers '''for a just world that prioritizes people and the planet.
<p><br></p>
*<div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="41hsc-0-0"><span class="veryhardreadability"><span data-offset-key="41hsc-0-0">'''<span class="hardreadability">Those most affected by forms of oppression are best suited to define how we can operate our society more </span><span class="adverb">equitably</span>'''. Disabled, black, brown, trans etc. people live through some of the most challenging consequences of capitalism and the climate crisis</span></span><span data-text="true">.&nbsp;</span></div>
|- style="height: 82px;"
|- style="height: 82px;"
| style="width: 21.3321%; background-color: #c51f84; height: 82px; border-color: #000000; text-align: left;" | <span style="color: #ffffff;">'''4. Meeting everyone’s needs to build our collective fight'''</span>
| style="width: 21.2725%; background-color: rgb(197, 31, 132); height: 82px; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;" |
| style="height: 82px; width: 78.6311%;" |
'''<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For accountability, rather than punishment</span>'''
*'''On a strategic note: We will not mobilize the mass we need without considering disability justice, access needs and building cultures of care that actively challenge internalized oppression'''.
| style="height: 82px; width: 78.6907%;" |
***If people do not see their '''immediate survival needs''' being prioritized by your campaign, they will not want to join.
<br>
***Otherwise, those who would be interested in organizing may be '''unable to join, or continue''', if their access and care needs are not considered.&nbsp;
*'''Putting the planning in today means greater and sustained participation tomorrow. '''We are all likely to experience chronic or acute disability or access needs in our lives, whether from old age, stress, illness or an accident.&nbsp;<br>
|- style="height: 51px;"
|- style="height: 51px;"
| style="width: 21.3321%; background-color: #c51f84; border-color: #000000; text-align: left; height: 51px;" | <p><span style="color: #ffffff;">'''5. Organizers burn out when care isn't centered'''</span></p>
| style="width: 21.2725%; background-color: rgb(197, 31, 132); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left; height: 51px;" | '''<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As an opportunity for connection and generating</span>'''
| style="width: 78.6311%; height: 51px;" |
| style="width: 78.6907%; height: 51px;" |
*'''Non-disabled organizers are impacted by [[ableism]] too'''. Oppressive systems have their own way of defining what value and care mean, and who is deserving of both, and when.
The root of conflict is often a desire for connection. We can use conflict to hear one another.
***Our current systems place value on cisgender, white, male, settler, able body and minded norms of labour and productivity. '''Those that''' '''deviate are supposedly less deserving of care'''.
|-
***'''Internalized [[ableism]] uses productivity and sameness to define our worth'''. Doing too much to achieve too much can lead to burnout; a major problem in movement spaces. <br>
| style="width: 21.2725%; background-color: rgb(197, 31, 132); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;" | '''<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Avoiding conflict created more conflict</span>'''
*[https://www.sinsinvalid.org/upcoming-show Disabled queer and trans communities of colour]''' have already been preparing for the survival of their communities''' '''through disasters.''' They teach each other skills in resilience-based, care-based organizing to strategically create the changes that we need for our futures. These skills are necessary for other organizers to learn from.  <ref>https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2019/07/31/climate-change-queer-disabled-organizers</ref>  
| style="width: 78.6907%;" |
|- style="height: 178px;"
Avoidance is a common response to conflict. When this happens, we miss an opportunity to improve, and also give the conflict more space to grow and spread.
| style="width: 21.3321%; background-color: #c51f84; border-color: #000000; text-align: left; height: 178px;" | <p><span style="color: #ffffff;">'''6. Disability justice is intersectionally related to all other fights for justice.'''</span></p>
|}
| style="width: 78.6311%; height: 178px;" |
 
*'''The oppressive conditions we’re living in can be disabling''' themselves. For example...
= Creating brave spaces that navigate conflicts generatively =
***'''Chronic stress can be disabling'''. Neurodivergent people (ADHD, dyslexia, autism, anxiety) are [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13575279.2022.2149471 more likely than neurotypical people] to experience physical health problems.&nbsp;
 
***'''Racism can be disabling''' (e.g. [https://twitter.com/Imani_Barbarin/status/1648781887781912579?t=gxCK45M3QQOiWgEjjHpUHg&s=19 Ralph Yarl], a 16-year-old black child, experienced a brain injury after being shot by a racist white man).<br>
== An invitation to Brave Space - Mickey ScottBey Jones  <ref>https://www.grossmont.edu/faculty-staff/participatory-governance/student-success-and-equity/_resources/assets/pdf/brave-space-poem.pdf</ref>  ==
***'''Colonialism can be disabling''' (e.g. Aamijiwnaang First Nation has been impacted by settler colonialism, capitalism and environmental racism. Over 60 petrochemical facilities can be found within a 25 km<sup>2</sup> area. Community members face high rates of cancer, respiratory illness and reproductive health issues). <ref>https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/environmental-racism-in-canada#</ref>  
<p>Together we will create brave space&nbsp;</p>
***'''Living in poverty can be disabling.''' It significantly increases the likelihood of developing chronic or acute health problems (e.g. limited access to healthy foods, shelter, clean air and water, chronic stress etc). <ref>https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/poverty-health.html#:~:text=Poverty%20affects%20health%20by%20limiting,an%20individual's%20standard%20of%20living.</ref>  
<p>'''Because there is no such thing as a “safe space”&nbsp;'''</p>
<p>We exist in the real world&nbsp;</p>
<p>We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In this space&nbsp;</p>
<p>We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,&nbsp;</p>
<p>We call each other to more truth and love&nbsp;</p>
<p>We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We will not be perfect.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It will not always be what we wish it to be&nbsp;</p>
<p>But&nbsp;</p>
<p>It will be our brave space together,&nbsp;</p>
<p>And&nbsp;</p>
<p>We will work on it side by side.&nbsp;</p>
 
<br><br>
 
== Care to reduce future harm: a transformative justice approach ==
 
===What is transformative justice?===
 
“Transformative justice describes a systems approach to identifying root causes of conflict and responding to these as a community – including developing various harm-reduction processes to interpersonal violence within communities at the grassroots level rather than relying on punishment, incarceration, or policing.” -Beyond Survival, edited by Ejeris Dixon and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (2020) <ref>https://brownstargirl.org/beyond-survival/</ref>
<br>
<br>
 
=== Where does transformative justice (TJ) come from? ===
 
“TJ was created by and for many of these communities (e.g. Indigenous communities, Black communities, immigrant communities of color, poor and low-income communities, communities of color, people with disabilities, sex workers, queer and trans communities). It is important to remember that many of these people and communities have been practicing TJ in big and small ways for generations–trying to create safety and reduce harm within the dangerous conditions they were and are forced to live in. For example, undocumented immigrant women in domestic violence relationships, disabled people who are being abused by their caretakers and attendants, sex workers who experience sexual assault or abuse, or poor children and youth of color who are surviving child sexual abuse have long been devising ways to reduce harm, stay alive and create safety and healing outside of state systems, whether or not these practices have been explicitly named as “transformative justice.”
 
 
 
We can apply TJ principles to communicating, but it’s important to recognize''' the origins of TJ are more often than not more intense and challenging than the context of group dynamics where most of us will likely apply this knowledge.''' If you are dealing with serious harm within your group, see the following wiki page: [https://en.wiki.lehub.ca/index.php/Notes_on_accountability_from_Beyond_Survival:_Strategies_and_Stories_from_the_Transformative_Justice_Movement Notes on accountability from Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement].&nbsp;
<br>
<br>
 
=== Calling in vs calling out ===
 
<p>When a member takes an action that does not reflect the values of the group or breaks the guidelines of group participation, groups may either a) avoid taking action altogether, b) call the person in, or c) call the person out.&nbsp;</p>
 
{| class="wikitable" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 90px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"
|- style="height: 67px;"  
| style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 67px;" | '''Calling out'''
| style="height: 67px; width: 80.3024%;" |
 
*Calling out is best used to draw attention to harmful behaviours and increase public pressure. <ref>https://inittogether.cargo.site/Section-1</ref>
*“Call outs have a long history as a brilliant strategy for marginalized people to stand up to those with power. they have been a way to bring collective pressure to bear on corporations, institutions, and abusers on behalf of individuals or oppressed peoples who cannot stop the injustice and get accountability on their own, but within our movements today it has increasingly become a strategy to shame or humiliate people in the wake of misunderstandings, contradictions, conflicts and mistakes.” -We Will Not Cancel Us by Adrienne Maree Brown <ref>https://www.akpress.org/we-will-not-cancel-us.html</ref>
***<p>The first half of this quote mentions how call outs have a history as a powerful way to hold power accountable. The latter half discusses where call outs have gone wrong, in contributing to cancel culture when used against the wrong targets.</p>
***<p>Call outs can be very powerful when used as they were originally intended, but can be harmful in the wrong context. I.e. when we yell ‘shame’ at police who swarm an abolish the police rally, that’s an example of calling out the systemic harm of policing. ‘Cancelling’ someone is not an appropriate use of a call-out.</p>
***<p>See[https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007178355/minneapolis-mayor-booed-out-of-rally.html  the following example of a rally in the US] where calling out was used strategically.&nbsp;</p>
|- style="height: 23px;"
| style="width: 19.6976%; background-color: #99e1d9; height: 23px;" |
'''Calling in'''
| style="height: 23px; width: 80.3024%;" |
 
*Calling-in means reminding someone that the group has shared values and guidelines, supporting them in reflecting on the ways their behaviours may have led to unintended consequences or harms, and continuing to work with that person to make amends and change their behaviour. <ref>https://inittogether.cargo.site/Section-1</ref>  
*Calling in suggests the individual can hold themselves accountable, and others will be there to support the process of amends. This is a transformative approach, that emphasizes growth and support to prevent future harm. <ref>https://inittogether.cargo.site/Section-1</ref>
*For example: if a group member uses they/them pronouns, and someone were to use the wrong pronoun, we don’t need to cancel that person. We don’t need to shame them for their mistake. We can simply call them in, reminding them of the correct pronouns and how their mistake may have caused unintentional harm. This gives the person the opportunity to thank the group or person for calling them in, apologize, correct themselves, and perhaps ask if there’s anything else they can do to make amends.&nbsp;
<br>
|}
|}
'''Summary'''
Another example from Maisha Johnson for Transform Harm: “If my young cousin who’s just taken her first women’s studies class makes a problematic comment, I know calling her in with a conversation or passing her an article might be all the energy I need to expend. Waging a public campaign against her isn’t necessary. But if the problematic behavior is coming from a women’s empowerment organization with a big influence, a more public call-out may be more effective.”
*Use call outs for:&nbsp;applying pressure to power
*Use call ins for: group members and potential recruits
<br>
<br>
== Conflict mapping tool <ref>https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/conflictbooklet.pdf</ref>  ==
We can dig deeper into the layers of conflict by exploring 3 key ideas:
*Position: Our initial response, opinion or solution to the conflict (i.e. your stance)
*Interests: what’s important to us in this particular situation, or our concerns or fears about the issue (i.e. your reasoning for your stance).
*Needs: Beneath our interests; universal needs, or the needs that we all have, for example respect, belonging, to be understood etc. (I.e. underlying your reasoning).
Conflict mapping acts as a tool that helps people in conflict form a clearer picture of the issues that are underlying, by exploring these 3 layers. It’s more structured than an open discussion, and makes a conflict conversation easier to facilitate, especially in a group where people are struggling to speak to each other in a civil way. This tool could be facilitated by someone in your group, by a neutral friend or external facilitator. It can be used for conflicts between a few members, or by the whole group. <ref>https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/conflictbooklet.pdf</ref> &nbsp;
=== Steps to conflict mapping ===
1. Write the issue in the middle of a document (keep it neutral).
2. Add segments surrounding for each person involved in the conflict.
3. Have each person record their position, interests and needs.
4. Invite everyone to look at the map and consider others’ interests and needs that they hadn’t taken into account before.&nbsp;
5. Discuss solutions that consider everyone’s key comments as a team.[[File:Screen Shot 2023-07-31 at 1.16.33 PM.png|300x300px|center|border]]
Diagram by: Seeds for Change
== Finding solutions to conflicts ==
There are 4-5 steps for brainstorming solutions to conflicts.
#If relevant, '''review''' the group’s mission, vision, agreements for working together etc. to orient members towards a collective solution and/or raise critical reflections about where wrongdoing happened.
#'''Discuss''' common points of each person’s position, interests and needs (or if there are none, express understanding)
#'''Define''' a compromise that considers everyone’s position, interests and needs.
#'''Check in''' that everyone can live with the solution.
#'''Create''' an agreement and define how you’ll hold accountability if relevant.
Moving through this process requires trust, and good decision-making processes. See our pages on decision making if needed:
*[[Consensus decision making 101]]
*[[Consensus decision making (suggestions for small groups)]]
*[[Modified consensus decision making (suggestions for large and small groups)]]
*[[DARCI decision making framework]]
<br>
<br>
<br>
If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.
<br>
[[File:Creative commons.png|300px|link=https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/|center|frameless]]
<div style="text-align:center;">This work is licensed under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License].</div>


*Room for divergent thoughts/ideas.&nbsp;
'''[https://en.wiki.lehub.ca/index.php/Militant_Wiki Back to Homepage]'''
*Power with one another rather than power over.
*Directing frustration at targets, not each other.
*For accountability, rather than punishment.
*Opportunity for connection and generating.
<br><p>“The question is not ‘how do we get rid of conflict?’ The question is ‘how do we approach it?’” -Rick Hanson</p>

Latest revision as of 21:56, 12 September 2024

This page was created to support activists with navigating in-group conflicts. Conflict has a bad rep, but what comes from conflict can be very insightful, and what comes from avoidance can be detrimental to group dynamics and effectiveness. This page is a work in progress that will be added to over time. The information included comes from existing organizer databases and resources by movement thinkers. Included are reflections on why it's important to engage in conflict, and suggestions for navigating it generatively.


Why Engage in Conflict?

“The question is not ‘how do we get rid of conflict?’ The question is ‘how do we approach it?’” -Rick Hanson


The following chapter presented by Prentis Hemphill, with support from the Black Lives Matter Healing Justice Working Group, describes their guiding principle around restorative justice, which “at its very core asks us to rethink conflict. It asks us to see conflict, not necessarily as the splinters that lead inevitably to division, but to think of conflict instead as a generative moment, an opportunity to learn something about each other and the systems that we’ve created together.” [1]

To make room for divergent thoughts/ideas

We aren’t always going to agree, and we shouldn’t. Engaging in conflict means inviting many perspectives to share. "What if we understood that we don’t need people to think exactly like us and be exactly like us to be WITH us and build with us?” -Dr Ayesha Khan

To develop power with one another, rather than power over.

When power and responsibility are left on their own, conflict is more likely to arise because needs are neglected, people are pushed out etc. Reflecting on power dynamics and privilege as individuals in a group setting helps us to understand conflicts, avoid preventable consequences and encourage generative conflicts. 

To direct frustration at targets, not each other


For accountability, rather than punishment


As an opportunity for connection and generating

The root of conflict is often a desire for connection. We can use conflict to hear one another.

Avoiding conflict created more conflict

Avoidance is a common response to conflict. When this happens, we miss an opportunity to improve, and also give the conflict more space to grow and spread.

Creating brave spaces that navigate conflicts generatively

An invitation to Brave Space - Mickey ScottBey Jones [2]

Together we will create brave space 

Because there is no such thing as a “safe space” 

We exist in the real world 

We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds. 

In this space 

We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world. 

We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere, 

We call each other to more truth and love 

We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow. 

We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know. 

We will not be perfect. 

It will not always be what we wish it to be 

But 

It will be our brave space together, 

And 

We will work on it side by side. 



Care to reduce future harm: a transformative justice approach

What is transformative justice?

“Transformative justice describes a systems approach to identifying root causes of conflict and responding to these as a community – including developing various harm-reduction processes to interpersonal violence within communities at the grassroots level rather than relying on punishment, incarceration, or policing.” -Beyond Survival, edited by Ejeris Dixon and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (2020) [3]

Where does transformative justice (TJ) come from?

“TJ was created by and for many of these communities (e.g. Indigenous communities, Black communities, immigrant communities of color, poor and low-income communities, communities of color, people with disabilities, sex workers, queer and trans communities). It is important to remember that many of these people and communities have been practicing TJ in big and small ways for generations–trying to create safety and reduce harm within the dangerous conditions they were and are forced to live in. For example, undocumented immigrant women in domestic violence relationships, disabled people who are being abused by their caretakers and attendants, sex workers who experience sexual assault or abuse, or poor children and youth of color who are surviving child sexual abuse have long been devising ways to reduce harm, stay alive and create safety and healing outside of state systems, whether or not these practices have been explicitly named as “transformative justice.”


We can apply TJ principles to communicating, but it’s important to recognize the origins of TJ are more often than not more intense and challenging than the context of group dynamics where most of us will likely apply this knowledge. If you are dealing with serious harm within your group, see the following wiki page: Notes on accountability from Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement

Calling in vs calling out

When a member takes an action that does not reflect the values of the group or breaks the guidelines of group participation, groups may either a) avoid taking action altogether, b) call the person in, or c) call the person out. 

Calling out
  • Calling out is best used to draw attention to harmful behaviours and increase public pressure. [4]
  • “Call outs have a long history as a brilliant strategy for marginalized people to stand up to those with power. they have been a way to bring collective pressure to bear on corporations, institutions, and abusers on behalf of individuals or oppressed peoples who cannot stop the injustice and get accountability on their own, but within our movements today it has increasingly become a strategy to shame or humiliate people in the wake of misunderstandings, contradictions, conflicts and mistakes.” -We Will Not Cancel Us by Adrienne Maree Brown [5]
      • The first half of this quote mentions how call outs have a history as a powerful way to hold power accountable. The latter half discusses where call outs have gone wrong, in contributing to cancel culture when used against the wrong targets.

      • Call outs can be very powerful when used as they were originally intended, but can be harmful in the wrong context. I.e. when we yell ‘shame’ at police who swarm an abolish the police rally, that’s an example of calling out the systemic harm of policing. ‘Cancelling’ someone is not an appropriate use of a call-out.

      • Seethe following example of a rally in the US where calling out was used strategically. 

Calling in

  • Calling-in means reminding someone that the group has shared values and guidelines, supporting them in reflecting on the ways their behaviours may have led to unintended consequences or harms, and continuing to work with that person to make amends and change their behaviour. [6]
  • Calling in suggests the individual can hold themselves accountable, and others will be there to support the process of amends. This is a transformative approach, that emphasizes growth and support to prevent future harm. [7]
  • For example: if a group member uses they/them pronouns, and someone were to use the wrong pronoun, we don’t need to cancel that person. We don’t need to shame them for their mistake. We can simply call them in, reminding them of the correct pronouns and how their mistake may have caused unintentional harm. This gives the person the opportunity to thank the group or person for calling them in, apologize, correct themselves, and perhaps ask if there’s anything else they can do to make amends. 


Summary

Another example from Maisha Johnson for Transform Harm: “If my young cousin who’s just taken her first women’s studies class makes a problematic comment, I know calling her in with a conversation or passing her an article might be all the energy I need to expend. Waging a public campaign against her isn’t necessary. But if the problematic behavior is coming from a women’s empowerment organization with a big influence, a more public call-out may be more effective.”

  • Use call outs for: applying pressure to power
  • Use call ins for: group members and potential recruits



Conflict mapping tool [8]

We can dig deeper into the layers of conflict by exploring 3 key ideas:

  • Position: Our initial response, opinion or solution to the conflict (i.e. your stance)
  • Interests: what’s important to us in this particular situation, or our concerns or fears about the issue (i.e. your reasoning for your stance).
  • Needs: Beneath our interests; universal needs, or the needs that we all have, for example respect, belonging, to be understood etc. (I.e. underlying your reasoning).

Conflict mapping acts as a tool that helps people in conflict form a clearer picture of the issues that are underlying, by exploring these 3 layers. It’s more structured than an open discussion, and makes a conflict conversation easier to facilitate, especially in a group where people are struggling to speak to each other in a civil way. This tool could be facilitated by someone in your group, by a neutral friend or external facilitator. It can be used for conflicts between a few members, or by the whole group. [9]  


Steps to conflict mapping

1. Write the issue in the middle of a document (keep it neutral).

2. Add segments surrounding for each person involved in the conflict.

3. Have each person record their position, interests and needs.

4. Invite everyone to look at the map and consider others’ interests and needs that they hadn’t taken into account before. 

5. Discuss solutions that consider everyone’s key comments as a team.

Diagram by: Seeds for Change

Finding solutions to conflicts

There are 4-5 steps for brainstorming solutions to conflicts.

  1. If relevant, review the group’s mission, vision, agreements for working together etc. to orient members towards a collective solution and/or raise critical reflections about where wrongdoing happened.
  2. Discuss common points of each person’s position, interests and needs (or if there are none, express understanding)
  3. Define a compromise that considers everyone’s position, interests and needs.
  4. Check in that everyone can live with the solution.
  5. Create an agreement and define how you’ll hold accountability if relevant.

Moving through this process requires trust, and good decision-making processes. See our pages on decision making if needed:




If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


Back to Homepage