I read several books prompted by MYFest this summer, and the one I’ll write about here is adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds (read online at Internet Archive) since I want to use the metaphors there to launch a little Twine experiment. I am really fascinated by the elements that amb uses to organize her presentation of emergence; all of what she is writing about in this book resonates with me personally, and I believe it is profoundly needed if we are going to make educational experiences that are meaningful, transformative, and sustainable.

Here are what amb calls the “elements” of emergent strategy:
Fractal: The Relationship Between Small and Large
Adaptative: How We Change
Interdependence and Decentralization: Who We Are and How We Share
Non-linear and Iterative: The Pace and Pathways of Change
Resilience and Transformative Justice: How We Recover and Transform
Creating More Possibilities: How We Move Towards Life

She also links this up to the metaphors and emblems used by the Complex Movements folks at DesignJustice.org:  ants – wavicles – myceliums – ferns – dandelions – starlings. I found a great image of the emblems which you can see in the post banner: Back to the Future: Complex Movements Make Revolution. The way they work with these metaphors from nature to inspire human action and cooperation is really powerful!

So, if you have not read this book yet, I cannot say enough good things……….. highly recommended!

book cover of Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown