SYSTEMIC NARRATIVE INQUIRY (SNI) METHOD: THEORY PRESENTATION AND APPLICATION WITHIN THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

摘要

This paper presents a method that can be applied toward the cultivation of peace, called systemic narrative inquiry (SNI), which invites its practitioners to create shared meaning and connection with people who hold opposing or conflicting viewpoints. The author's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict provides the context for the method's formalization. SNI emphasizes a systemic view of the complexities of conflict and has as its main form the cultivation of disciplined and creative storytelling. Based on the conceptual thinking of soft systems methodologies (Ackoff, 1988; Banathy, 1989; Checkland, 1981; Churchman, 1979) and critical systems thinking (Flood and Jackson, 1991; Jackson, 1992), this method assumes that perspectives in a violent conflict are subjectively constructed and are representations of various levels of oppression. The paper presents an example of the application of SNI. The method is then assessed for its strengths and limitations and implications for the use of SNI beyond the arena of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are suggested.