Responding to social issues

Over the last fifteen years, Dulwich Centre Publications has used the written word as a way of responding to current social issues. A special informal publication, Comment, was developed for this purpose. The thinking behind Comment is described in a chapter by Cheryl White and David Denborough entitled 'The written word in times of crisis'  Here is an extract from this chapter:

'Created collectively, these informal news-sheets have been written at various times over the last ten years in response to current social events. These have been times in which we have felt considerably worried about developments that have been taking place in Australia - for instance, the rise in racism in Australia in the late 1990s. Certain events that have occurred overseas, such as those that took place on September 11 in the USA, and the bombing in Bali, have brought further grief and concern. At all these times, we have felt a wish to respond in some way, not to remain passive in the face of broader issues. We have also known that many others have had similar feelings and have wanted to try to find ways to respond. As our primary work is in publishing, the question became: what sort of writing, what sort of publication could be most useful?

At all the times mentioned above, the social issues were being talked about everywhere. Not only were the issues dominating the national news but also conversations in coffee shops, in family homes, and in workplaces. Many of these conversations were divisive and difficult. There were often marked differences of opinion within families and between friends and workmates. What is the role of the written word at these times? While there were avenues available to publicly protest or express sorrow about government actions and policies, and there were alternative newspapers and internet discussion sites that were publishing informative material, we decided that as part of our response perhaps we could contribute a different sort of publication. Could we create publications that would not simply state a line of argument, and therefore only appeal to those who already agree with this line of argument, but instead offer an engagement with the issues in ways that may enable different conversations?'

If you and/or your workplace are also finding ways to respond to social issues in your context we would be delighted to hear from you. Please  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ! Thanks.