Futures participation as anticipatory practice — what do futures workshops do?
Abstract Futures workshop is a participatory futures research method for producing views on futures and facilitating transformation and empowerment. Since different workshop methods are generally considered to have many advantages, they are widely used in various futures contexts. However, there is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2024-02-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Futures Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40309-024-00226-4 |
| _version_ | 1827328024584912896 |
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| author | Anna Riikka Airiina Armanto |
| author_facet | Anna Riikka Airiina Armanto |
| author_sort | Anna Riikka Airiina Armanto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Futures workshop is a participatory futures research method for producing views on futures and facilitating transformation and empowerment. Since different workshop methods are generally considered to have many advantages, they are widely used in various futures contexts. However, there is little knowledge on how futures participation entails empowerment for thinking and acting on futures. This paper studies participants’ futures thinking and action in relation to their workshop experience. As psychological constructs for engaging with futures, the concepts of human agency and futures consciousness are used for the analysis. The study examines two futures workshops organized in Finland for farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector using the futures consciousness scale pre-post survey, an open-ended follow-up survey, and thematic interviews. The results of the study show that although there was no statistically significant change in futures consciousness, the workshop experience is absorbed into participants’ daily reality, provoking their uses of futures. By analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, it is thus concluded that the ways in which futures participation empowers futures thinking and action are not, and should not be held, evident. Therefore, it is proposed that regarding their empowerment assumptions, participatory futures methods should perform deeper self-consideration as anticipatory practice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:11:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5620a53567c84204a660530e50852ec4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2195-2248 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:11:58Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Futures Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-5620a53567c84204a660530e50852ec42024-03-05T18:36:18ZengSpringerOpenEuropean Journal of Futures Research2195-22482024-02-0112111410.1186/s40309-024-00226-4Futures participation as anticipatory practice — what do futures workshops do?Anna Riikka Airiina Armanto0Finland Futures Research Centre, Turku School of Economics, University of TurkuAbstract Futures workshop is a participatory futures research method for producing views on futures and facilitating transformation and empowerment. Since different workshop methods are generally considered to have many advantages, they are widely used in various futures contexts. However, there is little knowledge on how futures participation entails empowerment for thinking and acting on futures. This paper studies participants’ futures thinking and action in relation to their workshop experience. As psychological constructs for engaging with futures, the concepts of human agency and futures consciousness are used for the analysis. The study examines two futures workshops organized in Finland for farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector using the futures consciousness scale pre-post survey, an open-ended follow-up survey, and thematic interviews. The results of the study show that although there was no statistically significant change in futures consciousness, the workshop experience is absorbed into participants’ daily reality, provoking their uses of futures. By analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, it is thus concluded that the ways in which futures participation empowers futures thinking and action are not, and should not be held, evident. Therefore, it is proposed that regarding their empowerment assumptions, participatory futures methods should perform deeper self-consideration as anticipatory practice.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40309-024-00226-4Futures workshopParticipationFutures thinkingAgencyFutures consciousnessEmpowerment |
| spellingShingle | Anna Riikka Airiina Armanto Futures participation as anticipatory practice — what do futures workshops do? European Journal of Futures Research Futures workshop Participation Futures thinking Agency Futures consciousness Empowerment |
| title | Futures participation as anticipatory practice — what do futures workshops do? |
| title_full | Futures participation as anticipatory practice — what do futures workshops do? |
| title_fullStr | Futures participation as anticipatory practice — what do futures workshops do? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Futures participation as anticipatory practice — what do futures workshops do? |
| title_short | Futures participation as anticipatory practice — what do futures workshops do? |
| title_sort | futures participation as anticipatory practice what do futures workshops do |
| topic | Futures workshop Participation Futures thinking Agency Futures consciousness Empowerment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40309-024-00226-4 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annariikkaairiinaarmanto futuresparticipationasanticipatorypracticewhatdofuturesworkshopsdo |