Reframing as a tool for Conflict Resolution
By Jenny White, MS Candidate
In last week’s Narrative Praxis course, Sarah Federman introduced the practice of reframing. Reframing is about trying to remove the lens through which a party is stuck viewing the conflict and help to move them into a more positive or productive way of viewing it. This is often most effectively reached by “destabilizing” the frame that currently exists so that more space is made for the possibility of other perspectives on the conflict. There are a variety of ways to do this, which is both comforting and overwhelming when considering the practice of reframing. It seems that reframing requires not only background knowledge of the various ways to destabilize someone else’s frame, but also willingness to engage with people in new and challenging ways. Whether intentionally forming a relationship with someone who has invited you into their protracted conflict or engaging with someone’s narrative with an attitude of spontaneity, I think that reframing may require the practitioner themselves to view relationships through a new lens.
To showcase the ways in which information can shape our frames, we used Kevin Carter’s Pulitzer Prize- winning photograph of a starving child being watched by a vulture. At first, we were asked to describe the photograph and the potential story around it without any information other than the image itself. Then we were given more information and asked to describe it again. This process happened several times, and with each piece of additional information, the conversation about the photograph and the photographer changed dramatically. I was surprised not only by how much my perception of the image shifted, but also by the number of preconceived notions I brought into the exercise. With each new description of the photograph, my narrative of the image changed, but I think my own narrative changed as well. I was confronted by the way my opinions on photojournalism and responsibility shaped by narrative of the photograph. I learned that reframing is a practice that should occur internally for me when I am challenged by new information and externally in any work as a practitioner.
Enjoy what you just read? Please help spread the word to new readers by hitting the green “Recommend” button below and sharing it on social media
Follow the Narrative Center on Twitter and Like the Narrative Center on Facebook. Cheers!
