Social issue fields : seeing systems, shaping action

Complex social issues such as homelessness, food insecurity, and climate change require approaches that recognize the interdependence of the systems and actors involved in addressing them. However, identifying those actors and understanding the gaps and opportunities that shape system-level responses remain challenging. Using a mid-sized Canadian city as a case study, this thesis builds on existing field theory to examine whether adoption of a social issue field view can change the way that wicked problems are addressed. The research explored how members construct social issue fields, what constitutes a shared field view, and how such a shared view could shape everyday work within the field. Using a participatory approach, and a novel research method—Participatory Knowledge Mapping (PKM)— experts were asked to create their personal representation of a field map that described who was involved in addressing homelessness in the community. Utilizing these unique maps, the researcher created a theoretical model articulating the systems, roles, and entities involved in addressing the social issue. They then mapped the data collected from the participants onto the model to create a representation of the social issue field. The model and map were subsequently presented back to participants to explore whether this shared view could influence their approaches to practice. Initial findings indicate that the model and map can change how a social issue is approached. Participants identified the potential for the field view to inform policy making, resource distribution, collective action, training supports, and awareness of the complexity of the issue. The model may also be useful to researchers studying social-issue or strategic-action fields by providing a framework for mapping these fields. This framework could facilitate cross-study comparisons and encourage further research using community-engaged and participatory techniques that incorporate members of the field in the research. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that visualizing a social issue field can reveal systemic relationships and opportunities that are often obscured in traditional, siloed approaches.