To keep me entertained during church when I was young, my parents would give me two small plastic dogs – one black, one white – each with a magnet glued to its feet.\u00a0 When two similar poles of the magnets were put together, the dogs would repel one another.\u00a0 Turned so opposite poles were aligned, the dogs would snap together.<\/p>\n
Often my involvements have seemed to represent similar poles.\u00a0\u00a0 One of the poles is restorative justice<\/a>.\u00a0 The other is photography.\u00a0 On occasion these two poles seem to have nothing to do with one another.\u00a0 But other times they snap together and then I feel most complete.<\/p>\n My photography is often combined with people’s words using the methodology that Robert Coles has called “attentive listening.” \u00a0I sometimes think of this combination of photography and interviewing or story-sharing as a form of documentary work. But I am also interested in photography as a mode of contemplation<\/a> as well as celebration.<\/p>\n Sometimes the two poles mesh in specific justice projects. The “When a Parent is in Prison”<\/a> project that I am doing with Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz shares the portraits and experiences of children of incarcerated parents. Similarly, the Mural Arts Greenfield Restorative Justice Project<\/a> allowed me to use photography in a justice-related process.<\/p>\n But the two areas of work are also linked by some common goals and values: both aim to bridge divides, challenge stereotypes, reduce “othering,” to be respectful.\u00a0 They are also joined together by a common methodology:\u00a0 dialogue, storytelling and attentive listening.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n Overall, then, this blog is about restorative justice and restorative photography or research.\u00a0 More broadly, it’s about a restorative way of knowing and being.<\/p>\n A heads up, then:\u00a0 this series may be a bit quirky. Though positioned as a restorative justice blog, I also plan to explore some of my photography and documentary interests and the interconnections between these and restorative justice.<\/p>\n My aim is to share some reflections, reading and experiences in these fields of work.\u00a0 I also hope to use this forum to help bridge the gap between academics and practice.\u00a0 While I am currently positioned in an academic venue, the Center for Justice & Peacebuilding<\/a> is an unusual program with a real-world practice focus.\u00a0 And most of my career has been spent working with practitioners and laypeople.\u00a0 So my intended audience is people who are interested in a “just” way of being together.<\/p>\n We plan to keep adding resources and links to this site so I hope you’ll check in frequently.\u00a0 I welcome your comments as well.\u00a0 Given the volume of email we all receive in today’s world, \u00a0I won’t promise to respond to all individually but they will all contribute to what I trust will be a respectful dialogue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" To keep me entertained during church when I was young, my parents would give me two small plastic dogs – one black, one white – each with a magnet glued to its feet.\u00a0 When two similar poles of the magnets were put together, the dogs would repel one another.\u00a0 Turned so opposite poles were aligned,....<\/p>