Fundamentals 2015 – Join group “Dialogue”!

Hello everyone!

This is Alex Oprea and I am coordinating the theme “Dialogue” in the upcoming “Fundamentals” Symposium. Very excited about that! Send me a quick email at ao29 at duke(dot)edu if you’d like to join our group. Undergraduates are especially encouraged!

Our theme considers the plurality of purposes served by dialogue and communication. On the one hand, dialogue can serve to discover the truth, to conduct better research through community-involvement or to reach consensus in a democratic society. On the other hand, dialogue can serve a strategic purpose in confirming and reproducing the existing hierarchies and power dynamics. A speaker’s choice of words, accent or jargon influences both other’s perception and their receptivity to her or his message. Our group therefore explores the complicated role of dialogue within and between communities and the ways we can harness dialogue for salutary social purposes.