As we collectively face the converging crises of our times the Work That Reconnects has proven to be a powerful tool for understanding and responding with grounded intelligence to this unprecedented moment. Rooted in Joanna Macy’s own scholarship and dedication to learning, the Work That Reconnects has now permeated the world of higher education, being used in courses and programs in universities and colleges around the world. Additionally, many graduate students from around the world have chosen to dedicate their research papers to the Work That Reconnects.
We have gathered a collection of these papers in our Resource Library and listed them below. We are always interested in including. If you have an academic paper on WTR that you would like to share with the WTR global community, please let us know.
Academic Institutions that use WTR
Naropa University’s Joanna Macy Center
The Joanna Macy Center for Resilience and Regeneration at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, USA seeks to advance Dr. Joanna Macy’s work and vision by empowering present and future generations to build a more resilient world that works for all.
They carry this out by teaching and using the Work that Reconnects, continuing Dr. Joanna Macy’s Nuclear Guardianship work, educating the public and future generations about the dangers of radioactive materials and the moral necessity of their containment, promoting education and advocacy around nuclear proliferation and by taking on the deep work of Liberation Dharma, using Buddhist teachings to draw connections between personal liberation and the transformation of society. We create opportunities for research on her theories of the confluence of Buddhist teachings, general systems theory, and the resulting social impact.
Schumacher College
Founded in 1991 by Satish Kumar, Schumacher College is a progressive college for ecological studies offering postgraduate and undergraduate programmes, research degrees, short courses and a practical agroecology residency. They focus on interactive and experiential education to help students develop the practical skills and strategic thinking required to face 21st century challenges and to instigate regenerative futures. Many of their faculty members employ the Work That Reconnects in their courses.
California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)
Since its founding in 1968, CIIS has been at the forefront of cutting-edge thought, integrating disciplines, redefining boundaries, and pushing the academy to look at education differently. The departments in their School of Consciousness and Transformation are distinct among liberal arts graduate schools in recognizing that scholarship should involve attention to profound issues of ultimate concern. Their programs are committed to pedagogical approaches that include multiple ways of being, knowing, and acting. Many of their faculty and students have explored and employed the Work That Reconnects in their studies over the years.
Academic Research on WTR
- El impacto percibido de ‘El Trabajo que Reconecta’ por Felipe Landaeta Farizo y Rocío Cerda
- What Benefits do Men Experience through the Work That Reconnects? A Phenomenological Inquiry by Vincent Brown
- Widening Circles of Care: Exploring Self-Care with Activists Using Ecological Drama Therapy by Rebekah Hart
- Emotional Methodologies for Climate Change Engagement: towards an understanding of emotion in Civil Society Organisation (CSO)-public engagements in the UK by Jo Hamilton
- Holding Space for Emotional Processing When Youth Study the Climate Crisis by Jennifer Chesnut
- Embodied Environmental Justice: An analysis of the Work That Reconnects to be used as a valuable resource for embodied social and environmental justice by Kelsey Eaton