The Center of the Labyrinth
I can now sit for a moment, in the center of the Joint PhD program, metaphorically at the center of the labyrinth. As Haraway (1988) suggests, I am ruled by partial sight, awaiting the unexpected openings made possible by my situated knowledge. I have explored the path taken to arrive here. I can look forward to the steps yet to be taken. As I sit here, I reflect on the transformative 'technological embodiment' and 'creative material engagement' (Idhe & Malafouris, 2019) that has shaped my becoming as a researcher, an academic, and a PhD candidate. Ihde and Malafouris posit that "the difference that makes the difference is the recursive effect that the things we make and our skills in making seem to have on human becoming". By doing research, by writing, by enacting academic enquiry, I am shaped by the making and doing, by the creating and thinking, and by the practice and experience. In turn, the academic and scholarly landscape is shaped by my making. This intertwining of the cognitive and material cultures in my academic and scholarly work are inextricably intertwined with interactions and relationships, both human and technical (Ihde & Malafouris, 2019). I offer this moment of reflection in action (Schon, 1992), this transformative becoming, as verification of my extended theoretical, conceptual, and methodological analysis within the field of Cognition and Learning. My arrival and recentering, here at the center of the labyrinth, is an “opportunity to commit to the new phase, the return commences it” (Senn, 2002)."We seek those ruled by partial sight and limited voice-not partiality for its own sake but, rather, for the sake of the connections and unexpected openings situated knowledges make possible. Situated knowledges are about communities, not about isolated individuals" (Haraway, 1988, p. 590).
First, I present a literature review for the proposed research. While this is not the research proposal that will be submitted to my committee for formal approval, it will frame my inquiries in current research in the field of study. Secondly, I reveal theoretical and conceptual frameworks by exploring ontology, epistemology, methodology, methods, validity, and authenticity. The final section of this centering process is where I share the alternate dissertation (Alt-Diss) format used here in this comprehensive portfolio and proposed for use in the dissertation.