Presencing Connection: Life Writing and Personal Development

Vera Alexander*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

The global present has been diagnosed as a disruptive moment of disconnection. In this essay, I stage an interdisciplinary encounter between the self-reflexive genre of life writing on the one hand, and recent theories of personal development and leadership in order to compare recent approaches to the present as a moment of transformation. In order to overcome present disruptions, it is necessary to acknowledge past patterns of relating to the social and natural environment, but also to go beyond self- and systems awareness and develop innovative ways of connecting that complement a cognitive understanding of crisis with affective and embodied practices. By bringing together life writings and leadership theories, I introduce a range of current ways of envisioning connection and sketch how they may contribute to making more sustainable relational imaginaries and practices accessible to a wider public.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)405-422
Number of pages18
JournalCaietele echinox
Volume44
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15-Jun-2023

Keywords

  • life writing
  • personal development
  • crisis of connection
  • relationality
  • garden writing
  • Kae Tempest
  • Clare Hastings
  • Theory U
  • life long learning
  • sustainability

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