A Map of Social Innovation Territories:: A Tool for Navigating across Diverse Disciplines and Fields of Practice

Laura Murphy; Maille Faughnan

A Map of Social Innovation Territories:

A Tool for Navigating across Diverse Disciplines and Fields of Practice

Authors

Laura L. Murphy Tulane University
Maille E. Faughnan Tulane University

Keywords:

social innovation, theory, epistemology, ontology, pluriverse, academia

Abstract

This paper offers a visual map of the landscape of social innovation to help clarify assumptions, overcome biases, and learn new approaches for making social and environmental changes in the 21^st century. The map is a wayfinding tool to aid exploration, communication, and collaboration across sectors and worldviews. The map is oriented around different epistemologies (ways of knowing) and ontologies (ways of being), which carve out two key territories: (1) mainstream liberal social entrepreneurship (aligned with positivist epistemologies (western science); and (2) complexity-based models characterized by relational ways of being and calling for plural knowledges. We note (3) a rift across this landscape – formed by fault lines of positivist/non-positivist epistemologies and dualist/non-dualist ontologies. We explain how to use the map to locate your position, navigate, and explore new places. We point out bridges across barriers, including complexity thinking, design thinking, and attention to power.

Author Biographies

Laura L. Murphy, Tulane University

Laura L. Murphy, Clinical Associate Professor, Tulane University

Maille E. Faughnan, Tulane University

Maille E. Faughnan, Research Fellow, Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking, Tulane University

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Published

2023-01-25

How to Cite

Murphy, L., & Faughnan, M. (2023). A Map of Social Innovation Territories:: A Tool for Navigating across Diverse Disciplines and Fields of Practice. Social Innovations Journal, 16(1). Retrieved from https://socialinnovationsjournal.com/index.php/sij/article/view/5375

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Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2023): Identifying and Addressing Cultural, Geopolitical, Structural, and Educational Barriers to Social Innovation

Section

Responsibility in Knowledge Stewardship

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