Healing Communities: PhD thesis
Overview
Title: Healing Communities. What if we collectively had the capacity to overcome any crisis in a matter of days? A method for teams of teams to: listen to each other, agree on priorities, put in commons resources, create few but essential and freely adaptable solutions.
Author: Fabio Balli
Supervisors
- Marguerite Mendell, social economy
- Warren Linds, arts-based participatory research
- Satoshi Ikeda, political sociology
- Philippe Caignon, experiential learning (chair)
Institution: Concordia University, Tiohtià:ke / Montreal, Canada
Programme: Individualised PhD in Social Science, a program "to promote innovative and creative approaches to issues that are outside the normal boundaries of investigation"
Methodology: creation-as-research, that is "the elaboration of projects where creation is required in order for research to emerge. [...] The ‘results’ produced also include the creative production that is entailed, as both a tracing-out and culminating expression of the research process. [...] Knowledge is produced as creative work, and not simply through their analysis and interpretation. It is in this sense that such creative work can be understood as a strong form of intervention, contributing to knowledge in a profoundly different way from the academic norm”.
Ethics: participatory action research ethics, that is the duty, as a privileged person, to generate value for the community.
Funding: Concordia University (C$ 67K), Quebec bursaries (33K) – see value accounting regarding project funding.
Accessibility: Many elements of research were published in open access, see below. Thesis to be published under a CC BY-SA licence in editable LaTeX format.
Thesis
- Official thesis, 259 pages
- Editable LaTeX source
- soon
- Abstract preprint, 3 pages
- Visual synthesis, 1 page
- Defense presentation, 27 pages
- Video presentation, 3 minutes
Structure of the thesis
Part | Chapter |
---|---|
Compliance
PhD abstract Résumé du PhD Acknowledgments Co-authored contributions Table of contents List of figures List of tables Glossary | |
I. Introduction | 1. Journey to the PhD
2. Research context and methodologies 3. Some theory on the commons |
II. Breathing freely: creation-as-research | 4. Commoning across disciplines
5. Commoning across territories 6. Commoning across commons |
III. Four levers for solidarity-driven ecosystems | 7. Bringing diverse people together for ludic events to overcome loneliness
8. Generating collective value to overcome material scarcity 9. Facilitating agreements across teams of teams to overcome power plays 10. Revisiting collective narratives to break free from self-servitude |
IV. How thousands people could end misery within weeks | 11. Festival ’taking care together’
12. Solving collective crises within hours 13. Regaining joy in our daily lives: a reflection |
V. Closing and references | 14. Bridge to the future
References Index of people Index of universities Index of organizations and projects |
Core outcomes
On co-creation
- Breathing Games
- Website
- Videos of co-creation
- Repository of source codes and designs
- Synthesis: Balli et al. Open-source games for health, multiplayer and gamepads. Co-creating fun care with children with asthma, young adults with cystic fibrosis, elders with COPD. General meeting of the Global Alliance against chronic Respiratory Diseases 2020-2021. Zenodo 2021.
- Festival 'taking care together'
- Website
- Videos of co-creation
- Synthesis: Balli. Preserving our health: a common heritage. Festival 'taking care together' 2022. Zenodo 2023.
On research
Book chapters
- Balli, Gingras. Cinq leviers pour révolutionner la recherche et l’enseignement supérieur. In Pérusse et al. L’université du XXIe siècle : enjeux, défis et prospectives. Acfas 2020.
- Bousquet et al. Asthma in the digital world [CLOSED]. In Nadif. Asthma in the 21st Century. Elsevier 2023.
- Wu et al. Mobile applications and wearables for chronic respiratory disease monitoring. In Gomez et al. Precision in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine. Springer 2020.
Articles
- Balli. Game jams to co-create respiratory health games prototypes as Participatory Research methodology. Forum: Qualitative Social Research 2018; 19(3).
- Balli. Developing digital games to address airway clearance therapy in children with cystic fibrosis: Participatory design process. JMIR Serious Games 2018; 6(4).
- Balli F. Quand l'autorité reconnaît la sagesse du groupe : principes pédagogiques pour s’accorder et mettre en communs nos connaissances face aux défis de société [IN REVIEW].
- Balli, Carpentier. Health and law-making: collectively re-creating narratives. In Haller, Soliev. Commons and Policy: Compilation of Inputs and Reflections – IASC Europe and CIS Colloquium Series 2022. Zenodo 2023.
- Balli, Lebel. Éditorial : les savoirs en partage. Acfas Magazine 2019.
- Balli, Roy. Collaborer et publier avec des logiciels libres. Acfas Magazine 2019.
- Chelabi et al. Validation of a portable game controller to assess peak expiratory flow against conventional spirometry in children: Cross-sectional study. JMIR Serious Games 2020; 9(1).
- Maheu-Cadotte et al. Effectiveness of serious games and impact of design elements on engagement and educational outcomes in healthcare professionals and students: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol. BMJ Open 2018; 8.
- Silva-Lavigne et al. Acceptability of serious games in pediatric asthma education and self-management: a pilot study. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting 2022; 5(2).
- Valderrama et al. When thousands of citizens innovate: how policy-makers can contribute. Canadian Science Policy Center 2020.
Other communications
Timeline of creation-as-research
Period | Focus | Detail | Research project |
---|---|---|---|
1 Sept 2015 | Preparation | Meetings with supervisors to build my committee. | |
16 Sept 2015 | Application | Application submitted. → | v1. Question: How does personal growth (emerging group regulation) and collaborative production (peer work released under commons licence) affect individuals in their optimal experience (flow) and autonomy, and organizations in their integrity and societal impact? |
20 Nov 2015 | Admission | Admitted in MA as previous graduate studies are not acknowledged as research with option to fast-track and have credits transfered after courses are done. | |
Jan 2016 to Aug 2017 | Coursework MA and research |
| |
13 April 2017 | Fast-track | Request to shift from MA to PhD. → | v2. Refocus on Breathing Games. Question: How can co-created and freely adaptable games and devices for respiratory health help prevent, recognize, diagnose and treat chronic respiratory diseases at individual, local and international scales? How does the structure of the commons evolve over time? How does the experience of commoners evolve over time? How many individuals use the games/hardware and how (ludic experience, knowledge acquired, health practice)? What are the data gathered throughout the commons and how do they inform about health outcomes? |
15 June 2017 | Admission | Admitted to the PhD. | |
05 Sep 2017 | Conversion | 3 of 19 MA credits recognized for the PhD. | |
Sept 2017 to March 2018 | Coursework PhD
and research |
| |
5 Oct 2020 | Comprehensive exam | Five questions on the growing presence of the commons in the dominant economic paradigm, problems related to the medical system, how health commons can address these issues; how to empower participants, and what methodologies help achieve positive outcomes. ▶ Chapters 3, 13 | |
5 Nov 2020 | Feedback | Committee input on the comprehensive exam. | |
April 2018 to Feb 2021 | Research | ||
28 Feb 2021 | Research proposal | Summission of my research proposal. → | v3. Review of the realizations done, connecting the dots. Thesis structured in three parts: Co-creation of libre games and controller for children with asthma; International deployment of a health commons; Large-scale cooperation. ▶ Chapters 4, 5, 6 |
Feedback | Committee input on the research proposal. | ||
March 2021 to
July 2021 |
Research | v4. Inclusion of context and research journey. ▶ Chapters 1, 2 | |
15 July 2021 | Pre-submission 1 | Thesis submission to the committee for review. | |
3 Aug 2021 | Feedback | Committee input on thesis. | |
Aug 2021 to Jan 2023 | Research | v5. Integration of the research journey chapter throughout the thesis. New critical reflection part building on ongoing articles. Inclusion of taking care together festival. Closing added. ▶ Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14 | |
8 Jan 2023 | Pre-submission 2 | Thesis submission to the committee for review. | |
27 Jan 2023 | Feedback | Committee input on thesis. → | v6. Inclusion of captcha example, review of closing. ▶ Chapters 12, 15 |
11 Feb 2023 | Submission | Initial thesis submission to Concordia. | |
Feb 2023 to June 2023 | Copyediting | v7. Global review. Layout, illustrations, indexes and references were systematically corrected. Clarifications made. Chapter 9 completely restructured to clarify the model. Chapter 10 is no longer presented as an external publication. Synthesis in chapter 11 translated in English and updated. Six additional key figures added and other removed. Integration of the corrections requested in the defense. | |
29 June 2023 | Defense | ||
Aug 2023 ? | Final submission | Publication under CC BY-SA licence in editable LaTeX format. |
Draft structure of defense
Version 1
Presentation of 20-30 minutes followed by questions of the examination committee and audience. Hybrid or in presence. Details.
Parts | Time | Detail | ||||||||||||||||||||
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I. Scope | 2 min | Journey
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2 min | Methodology
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2 min | Theory
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II. Practice | 4 min | Breathing Games iterations
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III. Keys for solidarity | 8 min |
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IV. Practice and model | 4 min | Open Village iterations
Value created Potential impact: Captcha Steps Application | ||||||||||||||||||||
V. Closing | 2 min | Summary of learnings
Accessibility of thesis |
Version 2
Parts | Time | Detail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Essence | A method for people to solve human challenges by converging
What if we collectively had the capacity to overcome any crisis in a matter of days? A method for teams of teams to: – listen to each other, – agree on priorities, – put in commons resources, – create few but essential and freely adaptable solutions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frame | wicked problems, complexity
speed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currently | 2 min |
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Alternative |
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Practice | 4 min |
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Method | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
III. Keys for solidarity | 8 min |
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2 min | Method
Accessibility of thesis |
Version 3
Approach to research
- origins: transdisciplinary, leading agile development
- socio-constructivist, traceable reasoning
- seven iterations, creation-as-research (vortex)
- autobiographical narrative
Question
- How can thousands of people put in commons their resources to achieve collective wealth? / What if we collectively had the capacity to overcome any crisis in a matter of days?
Practice of commoning
- Breathing Games (SNSF tables)
- Hackathons (table)
- Emerging Change
Concept of commoning
- definitions
Finding 1: Key elements for solidarity-driven ecosystems
- listen to each other
- agree on priorities
- put in commons resources
- create few but essential and freely adaptable solutions
Findings 2: Patterns that impoverish or empower
survival (the ill tree) | dynamic equilibrium (blooming forests) | ||||||
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.................................. | .................................. | .................................. | .................................. | .................................. | .................................. | .................................. | .................................. |
➚ | perceived / created scarcity
– misery (recognition, material, spiritual) – exhaustion (self, resources) – dis-eases, corruption (physical, ecosystems) |
➘ | ➚ | perceived / created abundance
– bliss – vitality – wellbeing (consciousness) |
➘ | ||
having / power plays (+/–, –/+, –/–)
– forbidden (self-)knowledge (mental health taboo) – inhibition for thought to unfold – disciplinary techniques (context-limited)
– universalism / one truth – top-down (work-breakdown, AI) – dependence
– competing states – competing corporations (IP) – value extracted from the collective (externalities)
– allopathic medicine, fitness, fashion, ... – body parts can be fixed with universal receipt – prescription from technical experts |
fear
greed, aversion, ignorance (lobha, dosa, moha)
whether it is incongruent or generates violence (phantasmatic fusion with the group) |
being / cooperation (+/+)
– introspection and interoception – freethought, giftedness – transdisciplinary creativity
– cohabitation of plural realities (complexity) – emergence, convergence (regulation) – reliance, self-organization, sovereignty
– libre commons (bundles of rights)
– critical public health, antigym, pers. growth – sharing of subjective experiences – movement towards a dynamic equilibrium |
trust
love (agape), compassion, inner peace
congruence of own narrative prevails; critical questioning of collective narratives (singularity within the group) |
Findings 3: Method
- Method to tackle wicked problems within days
Barrier | Mean | Result | Without |
---|---|---|---|
Loneliness, availability | Short events | Visible impact of action | Effort too high |
Material scarcity | Libre philosophy | Generative economy | Value extracted |
Power plays | Emergence | Teams of teams agreement | Projects multiplication |
Self-servitude | Narratives | New possibles | No sovereignty |
Practice of commoning
- Makers (pres)
- Open Village (brochure)
Acknlowedgements
- Accessibility of thesis