This research was my dissertation for my master’s degree on “Intercultural Mediation and Social Intervention”.
Abstract
In this research, intrapersonal mediation is contemplated as a privileged space for experimentation, simulation, and education for coexistence, applying it as a tool for psychosocioeducational intervention.
Drawing upon imagery and utilizing techniques present in therapeutic photography and videography, the aim is to enhance the acquisition of valuable tools and knowledge, allowing mediated individuals to develop their visual, emotional, and social literacy. In this way, they can become active participants not only in improving their well-being but also in constructing a more just, inclusive, and peaceful society.
Given the scarcity of research and work surrounding this practice, this study aims to contribute as an initial point or first step in the necessary ongoing discussion about intrapersonal mediation practices. By following the journeys of four participants over ten individual mediation sessions, we will explore how the distance afforded by imagery, along with its expressive and symbolic potential, can contribute to a flexibility in their narratives and abilities, enabling them to act upon them more consciously.
This study will encompass both an expository and practical component, addressing various topics related to the construction of personal/social identities and narratives, as well as coexistence dynamics.
Over the course of three months, meetings centered around themes such as emotions, internal discourse, discomfort, among others, were mediated, fostering moments of dialogue and the exchange of experiences regarding the work of researchers and artists, as well as the images produced by the participants in response to the proposed thematic challenges.
It was thus expected that the mediated individuals, gradually aware of their self-mediation processes, could shift their mindset and integrate a more constructive, curious, and pro-social perspective toward others and their uniqueness.
It is not the intention of this research to outline or establish a specific application model or rigid guidelines for intrapersonal mediation practice. Instead, the goal is to expand ideas and concepts about its potential as a tool for social intervention in the pedagogy of coexistence.
Keywords
Arts-Based Intervention, Coexistence, Intrapersonal Mediation, Mindsets, Narratives, Therapeutic Photography and Videography
Articles and publications
- 2023 | Published chapter in “Teoria e Prática da Pedagogia Social, da Mediação Intercultural e da Intervenção Social / Theory and Practice of Social Pedagogy, Intercultural Mediation and Social Intervention” edited by Edições Afrontamento
Congress Presentations