Moving beyond Dichotomies of Narratives and Identity: The Transformative Process of Dialogue

This chapter presents the phenomenon of intergroup dialogue that takes place amid conflict as a multi-level/multi-layered phenomenon in which parallel complementary dialogues occur on both group and individual levels. It illuminates the dynamics of the dialogue process, and the reciprocal effects of conversations on intragroup, intergroup, and individual encounters. For example, while intergroup conversations are often one-dimensional and polarising, they permeate the intragroup level, where rich and multi-vocal dialogues tend to develop. Such voices continue to resonate in individuals’ consciousness, where movement is created between poles. The author suggests that processes of dialogue, change, and transformation commence externally and permeate internally, whereas individuals not only encounter the image or narrative of the other, but also the other image or narrative of one's self. Encountering the ‘other’ and this interaction among narratives, with the questions, uncertainties, and struggles that arise, gives dialogue its potential for transformation. The chapter concludes by suggesting the importance of creating an internal ‘third space’, within one's own group and one's consciousness, in order to initiate movement beyond dichotomies, towards more complex perceptions of self and others.