Absent Narratives Approach

The Absent Narratives approach is about restoring relationships: to ourselves, to each other, to our communities, and to the places we live and work. This approach asks people to speak only for themselves and not to represent a community. Therefore, differing opinions, ideas, and thoughts show up as uniquely as the individuals who bring them. By embracing and including these untold experiences that make up each of us and our communities, we can close the relationship gap of human understanding and empathy between us.

Absent Narratives is a relationship-based approach to creating equity within systems and communities. This approach helps people understand that all actions, decisions, and beliefs exist in relationship to others and impact how we work with and influence our peers and students. Absent Narratives help improve practices through the application of four related themes:
  1. Build and strengthen the student-teacher and school-community relationships.
  2. Recognize the limits of a single story and the accumulation of absence.
  3. Learn from the multiplicity of voices in the community.
  4. Discover solutions within the community.


Increase Engagement Through Absent Narratives Workshop

The Minnesota Humanities Center’s foundational workshop, Increase Engagement Through Absent Narratives, introduces participants to the Absent Narratives approach, a relationship-based approach to creating equity within systems and communities. Participants will work through the Absent Narratives approach to improve their practices through a process of examples, exercises, and guided reflection.

The next Increase Engagement Through Absent Narratives Workshop will be held on Saturday, October 5, 2013 at the Minnesot Humanities Center. Please check back for more details and registration information.