Jointly designed by the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) and the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions (DRIFT) this course investigates the links between academic and practitioners’ knowledge and develops innovative approaches to support transitions towards sustainability and social justice
In the second round of this 'Transformative methods: Exercises in collaboration' course, 26 students of the Master’s Programme in Societal Transitions collaborated with partner organizations to address a challenge that the respective organization faces in its work.
The course’s six societal partners ranged from developers of renewable energy technology and cross-sectoral initiatives for sustainable grid development, via initiatives for greater human security to organizations working towards migrant justice and for the rights and respect for sex workers.
The students sought to tackle their partner’s challenge through the co-design of transformative methods, understood as systematic approaches to support collective ways of doing, thinking and organizing for greater social justice and sustainability.
The proposed methods ranged widely from visible mending to support community building among sex workers, to a democs game for broadening the perspectives of transmission system operators.
Developing Visual Story Wiring
For Collectief Kapitaal, a collective that seeks to counter inequality and precarity in Dutch society and one of the course’s partner organizations, the collaboration was fruitful.
To visualize Collectief Kapitaal members’ involvement in the organization, the collaborating students designed the conversation method Visible Story Wiring. Using conversational principles that are characteristic for Collectief Kapitaal, this method allows participants to literally visualise the ‘big picture’ of their involvement in a community.
The students piloted the approach in a dry-run with a representative of Collectief Kapitaal present. The organization plans to build on the students’ tailor-made design.
But the learning also happened the other way round: looking back, the students concluded that the collaboration with Collectief Kapitaal offered them an inspiring perspective to look for alternative ways to relate to each other, beyond existing societal structures and inequalities.
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Designed by Julia Wittmayer, Drift and Karin Astrid Siegmann, ISS, the course on ‘Transformative Methods’ emerged from discussions around transformative methodologies at ISS and on transformative research at Drift.
ISS PhD researcher Beatrice Hati Gitundu and Visiting Fellow Lillian Sol Cueva contributed engaging workshops on ‘Participatory theatre’ and ‘Storytelling’ to the course.
The next round of the course will start in November 2025.