Kiran Cunningham | Kalamazoo College (original) (raw)
Papers by Kiran Cunningham
Agriculture, ecosystems & environment, Sep 1, 2024
Routledge eBooks, Jun 26, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Jun 26, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Jun 26, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Jun 26, 2023
Practicing anthropology, Jun 26, 2010
Practicing anthropology, Sep 1, 2003
How do you lay the groundwork for systemic change in such a way that those within the system take... more How do you lay the groundwork for systemic change in such a way that those within the system take ownership of both the transformation and the transformed system? The short answer is strategically, subversively, humbly and patiently. The longer answer can be gleaned from a project we've just completed that brought land use, with all of its social, economic and environmental dimensions, to the forefront of public awareness in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
Practicing anthropology, Jun 26, 2010
In spite of the breadth and depth of anthropologists' knowledge of and experience with interc... more In spite of the breadth and depth of anthropologists' knowledge of and experience with intercultural and international dynamics, we have done little as a field to tout this knowledge and its relevance and insert it into broader conversations about study abroad, service-learning, and other kinds of experiential learning. The contributions we do make are more idiosyncratic and happen as a result of anthropologists being in positions of influence in their own institutions. However, we have much to offer these conversations; indeed, given the stakes involved—the increasing number of United States students participating in international study and intercultural service learning programs—one could easily argue that we have an obligation to engage in these conversations, sharing our rich methodological and conceptual toolkit to enhance student learning in international and intercultural contexts.
Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, Mar 1, 2004
laqzile the existing reseamh consistently points to the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior The... more laqzile the existing reseamh consistently points to the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in tteating borderline per-sonalit~, disordet; little qualitative research has been conducted to ascertain the reasons for its success, especially from the perspective of those u,MerFoing the treatment. Our qualitative investigation was undertaken with the goal of understanding, from the perspective of the client, what is eJJective about DBT and w@. We interviewed 14 clients who were invohmd in a DBT program ntn by Assertive Community' 7)eatment (ACT) of Kalamazoo, bu'. * All of the women interviewed reported that DBT had a positive impact on their lives. * In 2003, ACT of Kalamazoo changed its name to InterAct of Michigan.
Employment research, Jul 1, 2008
Journal of deliberative democracy, Aug 31, 2010
Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy... more Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy (DD), the former can be a powerful means for engaging the academy in the latter. AR and DD are both grounded in principles of inclusion, equity, the co-generation of knowledge, and ...
Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, Mar 13, 2019
Uganda's Local Government Councils Scorecard Initiative is a strategic social accountability init... more Uganda's Local Government Councils Scorecard Initiative is a strategic social accountability initiative designed to enable citizens to demand excellence of their local governments and enable local governments to respond to citizen demands for effective and efficient service delivery. Begun in 2009, it is one of the signature programmes of Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), a public policy research and advocacy think tank in Uganda. The initiative is implemented in partnership with the Uganda Local Governments Association. The centrepiece of the initiative is the local government council scorecard, a capacity-building tool for assessing the performance of district-level elected officials in accordance with roles and responsibilities set out in the Uganda's Local Government Act 1997 (as amended). Incorporating multiple links in the supply and demand chain of good governance and accountabilitycitizens, civil society organisations, local government and central governmentthe administration of the scorecard and dissemination of performance results is grounded in an action research methodology. Follow the positive reception of the initiative after eight years of implementation in Uganda, it is hoped that other countries will look to adapt this methodology to engage in similar types of social accountability initiatives.
American Journal of Community Psychology, Aug 1, 2000
The work presented here, exploratory in nature, uses a comparative and qualitative approach to un... more The work presented here, exploratory in nature, uses a comparative and qualitative approach to understand the factors associated with the ability of individuals with severe and persistent mental illness to successfully gain and maintain employment. Based on open-ended interviews with individuals in an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program, we compare the experiences of those who have been successful gaining and maintaining employment, with those who have been successful gaining but not maintaining work, and those who have been unsuccessful gaining employment. The three groups seemed to differ in three significant ways: (1) in the ways the individuals talked about their illness, (2) in the ways the individuals talked about work, and (3) in the strategies they described for coping with bad days. In each of these areas individuals' awareness of and attitude toward their illness was significant. The findings have clear implications for agencies working to help people with severe and persistent mental illness obtain and maintain employment.
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 2005
While a good deal of research has been conducted on the factors associated with recovery, we stil... more While a good deal of research has been conducted on the factors associated with recovery, we still need a clearer understanding of the dialectic between behavior and attitude. This research uses semi-structured interviews with two groups of mental health consumers, one receiving more intensive ACT services and the other receiving less intensive case management services, to ascertain the illness management strategies used by those who have been transferred to less intensive services. Our research suggests that while engaging in community, vocational, and church activities are important, those who are further along the road to recovery have gained an understanding and acceptance of their illness that allow them to use these activities as effective illness management strategies.
Oxford University PressOxford eBooks, Oct 25, 2022
Action research is a form of research in which knowledge claims are co-generated with community m... more Action research is a form of research in which knowledge claims are co-generated with community members with the goal of taking action to promote social change and social analysis (Greenwood and Levin 2006, 5). It is a methodology well-suited to deliberative democracy as they share similar commitments, assumptions, and underlying values. Both action research and deliberative democracy are grounded in principles of inclusion and equality, aimed at the co-generation of knowledge, and oriented towards action. While action research may not be the best methodology for studies on deliberative democracy, it is a particularly suitable methodology for deliberative democracy. By this we mean that while research on deliberative democracy is more likely to be done at a distance, action research, as this chapter illustrates, is part of the deliberative democratic process itself. Deliberative democracy, according to James Fishkin, 'is the practical answer to the philosophical question: What would the people think should be done if they could consider key issues under good conditions for thinking about them?' (2018, 1). Theorizing and experimenting with the creation of these good conditions is the work of scholars and practitioners in the deliberative democracy field. Within this field, 'public engagement' is the term used to encompass a range of methods for creating these good conditions for people to be brought together to address issues of public importance (Nabatchi and Amsler 2014). In this sense, action research is a methodology for deliberative public engagement. Methodologically, action research aligns with critical theory and feminism in its commitments to emancipatory knowledge-seeking and approach to research participants, who are considered not subjects but rather collaborative agents in the research process (see Harding 1987). In action research, research partners have the power to shape, interpret, and act on co-generated knowledge. Writing about the intersections between action research and feminist methodology, Colleen Reid points to their ontological and epistemological coherence, as both 'seek to shift the centre from which knowledge is generated' and 'share an avowed intent to work for social justice and democratization' (2004, 4). It is also possible to draw similar parallels between action research and deliberative democracy, where the purpose of research is also to contribute to democracy. Scholars advocating for action research in the field of deliberative democracy include feminists like Marian Barnes, who
The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien
Journal of deliberative democracy, May 1, 2020
Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy... more Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy (DD), the former can be a powerful means for engaging the academy in the latter. AR and DD are both grounded in principles of inclusion, equity, the co-generation of knowledge, and ...
Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy... more Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy (DD), the former can be a powerful means for engaging the academy in the latter. AR and DD are both grounded in principles of inclusion, equity, the co-generation of knowledge, and action. In making the case for the integration of AR and DD, we describe their commonalities and place AR in the context of other forms of engaged scholarship. We review outreach scholarship, community-based research and other forms of participatory research, examining each in terms of their alignment with deliberative democratic principles and their potential for furthering deliberative democracy generally. Engaging the academy in research on and for deliberative democracy requires the full recognition of AR and other forms of engaged scholarship. However, Ernest Boyer’s call for the academy to recognize the scholarship of engagement as scholarship worthy of tenure and promotion has been heeded unevenly acro...
Agriculture, ecosystems & environment, Sep 1, 2024
Routledge eBooks, Jun 26, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Jun 26, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Jun 26, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Jun 26, 2023
Practicing anthropology, Jun 26, 2010
Practicing anthropology, Sep 1, 2003
How do you lay the groundwork for systemic change in such a way that those within the system take... more How do you lay the groundwork for systemic change in such a way that those within the system take ownership of both the transformation and the transformed system? The short answer is strategically, subversively, humbly and patiently. The longer answer can be gleaned from a project we've just completed that brought land use, with all of its social, economic and environmental dimensions, to the forefront of public awareness in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
Practicing anthropology, Jun 26, 2010
In spite of the breadth and depth of anthropologists' knowledge of and experience with interc... more In spite of the breadth and depth of anthropologists' knowledge of and experience with intercultural and international dynamics, we have done little as a field to tout this knowledge and its relevance and insert it into broader conversations about study abroad, service-learning, and other kinds of experiential learning. The contributions we do make are more idiosyncratic and happen as a result of anthropologists being in positions of influence in their own institutions. However, we have much to offer these conversations; indeed, given the stakes involved—the increasing number of United States students participating in international study and intercultural service learning programs—one could easily argue that we have an obligation to engage in these conversations, sharing our rich methodological and conceptual toolkit to enhance student learning in international and intercultural contexts.
Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, Mar 1, 2004
laqzile the existing reseamh consistently points to the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior The... more laqzile the existing reseamh consistently points to the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in tteating borderline per-sonalit~, disordet; little qualitative research has been conducted to ascertain the reasons for its success, especially from the perspective of those u,MerFoing the treatment. Our qualitative investigation was undertaken with the goal of understanding, from the perspective of the client, what is eJJective about DBT and w@. We interviewed 14 clients who were invohmd in a DBT program ntn by Assertive Community' 7)eatment (ACT) of Kalamazoo, bu'. * All of the women interviewed reported that DBT had a positive impact on their lives. * In 2003, ACT of Kalamazoo changed its name to InterAct of Michigan.
Employment research, Jul 1, 2008
Journal of deliberative democracy, Aug 31, 2010
Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy... more Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy (DD), the former can be a powerful means for engaging the academy in the latter. AR and DD are both grounded in principles of inclusion, equity, the co-generation of knowledge, and ...
Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, Mar 13, 2019
Uganda's Local Government Councils Scorecard Initiative is a strategic social accountability init... more Uganda's Local Government Councils Scorecard Initiative is a strategic social accountability initiative designed to enable citizens to demand excellence of their local governments and enable local governments to respond to citizen demands for effective and efficient service delivery. Begun in 2009, it is one of the signature programmes of Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), a public policy research and advocacy think tank in Uganda. The initiative is implemented in partnership with the Uganda Local Governments Association. The centrepiece of the initiative is the local government council scorecard, a capacity-building tool for assessing the performance of district-level elected officials in accordance with roles and responsibilities set out in the Uganda's Local Government Act 1997 (as amended). Incorporating multiple links in the supply and demand chain of good governance and accountabilitycitizens, civil society organisations, local government and central governmentthe administration of the scorecard and dissemination of performance results is grounded in an action research methodology. Follow the positive reception of the initiative after eight years of implementation in Uganda, it is hoped that other countries will look to adapt this methodology to engage in similar types of social accountability initiatives.
American Journal of Community Psychology, Aug 1, 2000
The work presented here, exploratory in nature, uses a comparative and qualitative approach to un... more The work presented here, exploratory in nature, uses a comparative and qualitative approach to understand the factors associated with the ability of individuals with severe and persistent mental illness to successfully gain and maintain employment. Based on open-ended interviews with individuals in an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program, we compare the experiences of those who have been successful gaining and maintaining employment, with those who have been successful gaining but not maintaining work, and those who have been unsuccessful gaining employment. The three groups seemed to differ in three significant ways: (1) in the ways the individuals talked about their illness, (2) in the ways the individuals talked about work, and (3) in the strategies they described for coping with bad days. In each of these areas individuals' awareness of and attitude toward their illness was significant. The findings have clear implications for agencies working to help people with severe and persistent mental illness obtain and maintain employment.
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 2005
While a good deal of research has been conducted on the factors associated with recovery, we stil... more While a good deal of research has been conducted on the factors associated with recovery, we still need a clearer understanding of the dialectic between behavior and attitude. This research uses semi-structured interviews with two groups of mental health consumers, one receiving more intensive ACT services and the other receiving less intensive case management services, to ascertain the illness management strategies used by those who have been transferred to less intensive services. Our research suggests that while engaging in community, vocational, and church activities are important, those who are further along the road to recovery have gained an understanding and acceptance of their illness that allow them to use these activities as effective illness management strategies.
Oxford University PressOxford eBooks, Oct 25, 2022
Action research is a form of research in which knowledge claims are co-generated with community m... more Action research is a form of research in which knowledge claims are co-generated with community members with the goal of taking action to promote social change and social analysis (Greenwood and Levin 2006, 5). It is a methodology well-suited to deliberative democracy as they share similar commitments, assumptions, and underlying values. Both action research and deliberative democracy are grounded in principles of inclusion and equality, aimed at the co-generation of knowledge, and oriented towards action. While action research may not be the best methodology for studies on deliberative democracy, it is a particularly suitable methodology for deliberative democracy. By this we mean that while research on deliberative democracy is more likely to be done at a distance, action research, as this chapter illustrates, is part of the deliberative democratic process itself. Deliberative democracy, according to James Fishkin, 'is the practical answer to the philosophical question: What would the people think should be done if they could consider key issues under good conditions for thinking about them?' (2018, 1). Theorizing and experimenting with the creation of these good conditions is the work of scholars and practitioners in the deliberative democracy field. Within this field, 'public engagement' is the term used to encompass a range of methods for creating these good conditions for people to be brought together to address issues of public importance (Nabatchi and Amsler 2014). In this sense, action research is a methodology for deliberative public engagement. Methodologically, action research aligns with critical theory and feminism in its commitments to emancipatory knowledge-seeking and approach to research participants, who are considered not subjects but rather collaborative agents in the research process (see Harding 1987). In action research, research partners have the power to shape, interpret, and act on co-generated knowledge. Writing about the intersections between action research and feminist methodology, Colleen Reid points to their ontological and epistemological coherence, as both 'seek to shift the centre from which knowledge is generated' and 'share an avowed intent to work for social justice and democratization' (2004, 4). It is also possible to draw similar parallels between action research and deliberative democracy, where the purpose of research is also to contribute to democracy. Scholars advocating for action research in the field of deliberative democracy include feminists like Marian Barnes, who
The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien
Journal of deliberative democracy, May 1, 2020
Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy... more Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy (DD), the former can be a powerful means for engaging the academy in the latter. AR and DD are both grounded in principles of inclusion, equity, the co-generation of knowledge, and ...
Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy... more Because of the shared underlying value systems of action research (AR) and deliberative democracy (DD), the former can be a powerful means for engaging the academy in the latter. AR and DD are both grounded in principles of inclusion, equity, the co-generation of knowledge, and action. In making the case for the integration of AR and DD, we describe their commonalities and place AR in the context of other forms of engaged scholarship. We review outreach scholarship, community-based research and other forms of participatory research, examining each in terms of their alignment with deliberative democratic principles and their potential for furthering deliberative democracy generally. Engaging the academy in research on and for deliberative democracy requires the full recognition of AR and other forms of engaged scholarship. However, Ernest Boyer’s call for the academy to recognize the scholarship of engagement as scholarship worthy of tenure and promotion has been heeded unevenly acro...