عنوان

Critical systems thinking and social systemic transformation in Malawi.

شماره

TLets484226

عنوان اصلي

Critical systems thinking and social systemic transformation in Malawi.

نام عام مواد

[Thesis]

نام نخستين پديدآور

Mvula, Aubrey Harry

نام ناشر، پخش کننده و غيره

University of Hull

تاریخ نشرو بخش و غیره

1999

جزئيات پايان نامه و نوع درجه آن

Ph.D.

کسي که مدرک را اعطا کرده

University of Hull

امتياز متن

1999

متن يادداشت

This thesis considers whether critical systems thinking (CST) may assist with socialtransformation in Malawi, a largely pre-modem and poverty stricken Third Worldnation. In the process, which must include modernisation, the country's public servicesappear to be the most viable catalyst and are, therefore, the focus of this research.However, the services are fraught with multiple interlocking problems, most of whichemanate from the fact that public services are inextricably connected to a forbiddingcontext and reality in which they work. Most of the problems are cultural and historical.It is argued in this thesis that the most significanteffect of theforbidding contextis in the area of the cognitive development of Malawi's people, including the publicservants. Colonial socialisation, State political domination and suppression of socialdiscourse, absence of a democratic ethos in governance and society, lack of investmentand fluidity have over the centuries impoverished the context, which is also Malawi'ssocial framework of knowledge. This has hampered the cognitive development of a hugemajority of Malawians, and prevented progress in socio-political development. It hasalso interlocked with other problems to reproduce this reality. The other problemsinclude those of language, deep poverty, wide spread ignorance and illiteracy, ethnicdivision and lack of opportunity for the majority; lack of socio-economic resources,sub-optimal management, low productivity and paucity of oppositional thinking.It is argued that, in its present form, CST is inadequate for the task ofintervening in such a forbidding situation and dealing anywhere near adequately with it.This thesis observes the following as major problems with CST: an inappropriatephilosophical grounding, confusion between the ontological order and the epistemicorder, lack of appropriate approaches to social reality and inadequacy of theory.The thesis narrates a brief history and development of systems thinking andtraces the emergence of CST, which it tests. The initial critical intents of CST areexamined together with the philosophy underpinning it, exposing its limitations. Criticalrealism, represented by the works of Roy Bhaskar, is examined for its suitabilityas newphilosophy for science and CST. It is found to be appropriate and is endorsed.Implications for this are considered. This helps to resolve the confusion between theontological order and the epistemic order in CST and leads to CST's new configurationbased on critical realism as the enabling critical framework/meta-theory.Following these gains, a more appropriate approach to social reality iselaborated for CST. The approach projects for CST the basis of a materialistic andscience-based method for intervening and achieving social transformation in thatcontext and possibly similar others. It recognises that social structures are activitydependent,concept-dependent, time-space-dependent and social-relation-dependent,and that human activity is dependent on given materials (means, media, resources, andrules), which it transforms. It also recognises that society is the condition of humanagency and that human agency is equally a condition for society, which, in continuity, itreproduces and/or transforms. Working with this belief, the thesis explores new materialand proposes a theory of development relevant for Malawi, and capable of addressingsignificantly, the problem of inadequacy of theory in CST.The theory proposed concerns human socialisation and efficacious agency; anddirectionality of transition, politics of, and limits to social transformation in a societysuch as Malawi.The utility of this theory has been examined theoretically in this thesis andagainst findings of field empirical investigations and critical realist analyses thereof.Ideas for methods for a CST intervention in the forbidding context in Malawi are alsoproposed from there.Additionally, this thesis shows how political thought and action are legitimatesocial systemic forms of endeavour that need to be included in CST if it is to make anysignificant impact in coercive contexts. This is considered within a conception of CSTin a permanent dialectical relationship between itself as social science and society as thesocial object that it seeks to deal with and transform. In this relationship, CST is seen asinvolved and interested in the way social reality must be like and taking an active part inits transformation.

موضوع مستند نشده

Philosophy

مستند نام اشخاص تاييد نشده

Mvula, Aubrey Harry

مستند نام تنالگان تاييد نشده

University of Hull

نام الکترونيکي

فرمت انتشار

p

نوع ماده

[Thesis]

کد کاربرگه

276903

سطح دسترسي

a

تكميل شده

Y