Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 08:16:24 -0600 (MDT)
From: leslie anne lopez <llopez-AT-unm.edu>
Subject: Re: Replacing Robert's Rules



You might check out _Democratic Organization for Social Change_ by
Johannes van Vugt.  The book is about how liberation theology projects
sought to teach democratic skills and consensus-building in four different
countries.  As I recall the second chapter has the most explicit
description of how consensus processes worked, esp. the idea of
persuasion as opposed to domination.  

Another model that is not RR is that of consultation.  One of the early
EZLN communiques talks about the Act of Agreement of one small village in
Chiapas when the EZLN was deciding whether to declare war.  The men,
women, and children separated into three groups and discussed it among
themselves and then "and then later we met again in the little
school and the majority had reached the point in their thinking that 
the war should begin because Mexico is being sold to foreigners and
hunger is occurring, but it is not occurring that we are no longer
Mexicans, and in the agreement 12 men and 23 women and 8 children
who already have their thoughts clear came forward, and those who know how signed and those who didn't
put down their fingerprint."  This is in _Shadows of Tender Fury_, trans.
Bardacke and Lopez, Monthly Review Press, p 212.

But if you're doing an academic committee you might have to wait a long
time before people get clear in their thinking.  When I think of those
gigs I think more in terms of "You can show me you're ready to listen by
putting your finger on your nose..."  Good luck!
Leslie Lopez


On Tue, 5 May 1998, Kirstin Bratt wrote:

> Dear List members:
> 
> I'm looking for a written document that would describe a consensus system
> of decision-making.  I'm trying to replace parliamentary procedure in a
> committee I'm chairing next year.  I seem to remember a document that
> described the Iroquois Nation's system of governing, but I can't remember
> the source information.  Any written document that would help me to build a
> case for using consensus rather than majority rule in a committee would be
> most appreciated.
> 
> Thanks in advance--
> Kirstin
> 
> 
> 
> ***************************************************
> *  Kirstin Ruth Bratt					
> *  Director of Honors Program and 
> *  Professor of English	
>                          
> *  Arizona Western College                                               
> *  P.O. Box 929		Phone: (520) 344-7665    
> *  Yuma, AZ 85366-0929	Fax:       (520) 344-7730  
> *                                                                       
> *  kbratt-AT-awc.cc.az.us 
> 
> 
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