An international collaboration in nursing education viewed through the lens of critical social theory.
Critical social theory, including the work of Jurgen Habermas, provides a valuable lens for viewing phenomena within their sociopolitical contexts. According to Habermas, the lives and experiences of individuals, groups, and societies in the western world are strongly influenced by the forces of economics and power. These influences may interfere with communication and, therefore, the transmission and regeneration of culture and its meaning. This article describes the experience of initiating an international exchange program at a university school of nursing in the eastern United States. Examined through the lens of Habermas' theory, constraints and obstacles encountered in this process are revealed. Specifically, the inhibiting influence that politics and economics may have on active communication and the potential benefits of shared meaning and understanding achieved by interaction and discourse are examined.
Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University, New York, New York 10038-1598, USA.
David N
DN
Ekstrom
Hrafn Oli
HO
Sigurdsson
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D018595:Colonialism; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D007393:International Educational Exchange; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D019359:Knowledge; D009511:New England; D015279:Organizational Culture; D011057:Politics; D011209:Power, Psychological; D016730:Program Development; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012579:Schools, Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012919:Social Behavior