How Might One Practice? Producing Possibilities through Co-Research as a Daily Practice of a Minor Science

Authors

Mark Mullkoff, Independent Researcher, Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaFollow

Abstract

Narrative practice is a broad field which includes therapy, community work, and research methods, all of which are less rigidly defined as they are connected through resonant ethics. In this paper I explore a practice I have developed in my early years as a narrative therapist asking the question, “If coming to talk to me were part of a Project— although not necessarily the first part, nor the most important part—what would that Project be called?” Through a reflexive process of aspiring towards narrative research principles of co-research, committing to relational ethics (which is grounded and contextual, rather than codified), and engaging with alternative theories of research (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987; Epston, 1999; Epston & White, 1992; St. George et al., 2015), I come to the understanding of my therapy practice as “Co-Research as Daily Practice of a Minor Science.” I present the “findings” of this research, as it pertains to the Project Question, and explore the ways that conducting the research will impact the way I use the Project Question in therapy sessions. Rather than the modernist notion that evidence-based practices are how one ought to practice, this process produces possibilities for how one might practice.

Keywords

narrative practice, therapy, community work, research methods

Author Bio(s)

This article is based on independent research and no funding was accessed. I want to acknowledge the contributions of my co-researchers, that is, people with whom I have consulted in therapy sessions, who generously offered their words to be shared here. I want to acknowledge Amy Druker, Sue Botelho of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, and Kearney Coupland of the Community Research Ethics Office for their consultation on the ethical dimensions of this research. Thank you also to Claire Nettle and David Denborough of the Narrative Practice Research Network and Sally St. George and Dan Wulff of The Qualitative Report for the support in developing this article, and to Makungu Akinyela for further feedback. I have no conflicts of interest to declare. Correspondence concerning the article should be addressed to markmullkoff@gmail.com

Acknowledgements

Mark Mullkoff (he/him) is a White settler on land that has historically been home to the Erie, Neutral, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and Anishinaabe, including the current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit, and is also known as Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In addition to narrative therapy and theory, Mark is interested in prison abolition, music, gardening, and parenting his two children.

Publication Date

12-16-2024

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2024.7803

Recommended APA Citation

Mullkoff, M. (2024). How might one practice? Producing possibilities through co-research as a daily practice of a minor science. The Qualitative Report, 29(12), 82-95. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.7803