Middle Ground

The phrase 'middle ground' reminds me of a few things.

First, Homi Bhabha who writes on post-colonial relationships which are full of authority issues, and post-authority issues. He speaks of dialogue between the former powerful and powerless to find middle ground in which authority agendas have been dissolved and the discussion can move forward.

Second, Armitt L (2005:196) Fantasy Fiction: An introduction New York, Continuum. This explores children reading fiction (especially fantasy) in which they enter imaginatively onto another plane, 'middle ground' (through a wardrobe/window/portal) where belief in reality is laid aside. It could also represent the acceptance of drama and soaps as 'real' in the imagination. If you like, children have to lay their agendas, assumptions and dogmas down and enter imaginatively into a new world, first imagined and gradually more and more fleshed out until that middle ground becomes the new reality. The teachers job is involve them imaginatively in this process.

Third, post Vygotskian Socio-cultural Activity Theory. An activity is a deliberate purposeful human set of actions. The subject has a motive which aims at the desired outcome. The middle ground between the intention and the outcome contains 'mediating symbols and tools'. A desired outcome might be post-authoritative self-discipline. The mediating symbols are mostly linguistic, although there may be other rituals and rights of passage embedded. The first mediating tool is the discussion group, which sought to unravel prejudice and dogma and open up new horizons. Such tools will produce argument and conflict - this is essential if progress is to be made, and you have to navigate through conflict and never bury it or avoid it. The new consensus should represent all views broadly, so it should never be s/he who shouts loudest (or most articulately) wins. Everyone needs to be able to agree on the group statement before moving on.

The middle ground is also a kind of consensus in which the different parties or stakeholders seek to achieve a win-win situation. There are pitfalls when an authority figure tries to force a consensus through. Also, a consensus may not provide the best solution, which might have been expressed by one person and been sidelined by vested interests. Consensus might end up being a conservative or reactionary position, as Galileo once found.
Note: this development of a response to a student is to explore the concept of 'middle ground' in interesting ways