UC4A By way of an introduction A short (and inadequate) introduction to social constructivism

Ontology – in German available to everyone Ontologie erklärt die Beschaffenheit der Welt; Epistemologie erklärt die Beschaffenheit unserer Erfahrung von dieser Welt. Ontologie ist also die Wissenschaft, die Theorie oder die Untersuchung des Seins, bzw. die Erforschung dessen, was ist, 'wie es ist' usw.

In other words How you explain what is out there and in you For example, scientific-rational explanations of things (atoms, molecules, chemical reactions, materiality of things) or spiritual-religious (creation theories) or other-reality explanations (virtual worlds, life is a dream, and so on)

Epistemology A theory of knowledge A set of ideas used to explain how you (come to) know what you know This includes your own personal way of interpreting the world (individual discourses) and the grand narratives or big packages (Marxism, Positivism, Christianity, Islam, Neo-liberalism, and so on) which (seem) to determine daily life at home, in countries, continents and across the planet

Epistemology For example, how would you attempt to explain: The rise of Nazism or the Bolshevik revolution The existence of poverty in the 21st century Gender inequality Racism

Some background Postmodernism – what is the story –Rejection of the mainstream narratives (Lyotard) –Reality is dependent on the knowing subject –Es gibt keinen metarécit (that is, a big story behind the stories you hear and hear about), weil es keinen externen Beobachter gibt (Luhmann)

Teleological explanations and multiple realities –Departure from teleological explanations of things (that is, explanations of the world which provide a sense or purpose to existence and the flow of things, like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Marxism, and so on) and from the idea of immediately experiencable reality as the only reality (i.e. there are other realities … = relativism, not essentialism)

Reality Is constructed through language Is represented by language Interpretations of reality, of the world can be understood as Narratives Agency – the active role of each individual in contributing to the creation, the construction of reality

Reality The artful accomplishment of day to day reality by individuals in their ongoing interactions with other individuals Reflexivity – recognising that you are part of the story being lived, your language is not only telling the story but it is constructing the context in which the story can be told