Cultivating Praxis Through Chinn and Kramers Emancipatory Knowing

Table of Contents

Introduction: Article Summary
Opinion
Rationale for Opinion
Conclusion
References

Introduction: Article Summary

The article Cultivating Praxis Through Chinn and Kramers Emancipatory Knowing was written to describe Chinn and Kramers Emancipatory Knowing model as a meaningful way to develop nursing praxis.

The authors, Peart and MacKinnon, outline the history of the theorys development. In 1978, Barbara Carpenter published her article Fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing, describing aesthetic, empirical, personal, and ethical patterns of knowing as interdependent and interrelated entities. Then, in 2007, Peggy Chinn and Maeona Kramer introduced their additional pattern emancipatory knowing.

Emancipatory knowing could be defined as the capacity to be concerned with and critically respond to the cultural, social, and political status quo and determine its reasons.

Emancipatory knowing refers to actions associated with the struggle to eliminate or reduce injustice or inequalityfor example, the reflective activity of determination of processes generating inequities.

In Chinn and Kramers model, original patterns of knowing are distributed around emancipatory knowing. According to them, nurses should start by asking a range of questions to critically look at the current status quo and imagine more just circumstances. The process of issue identification and solution generation is done through action plans, critical analyses, and manifestoes. A successful social change is sustainable, empirically evaluated, contributes to social equity, and demystifies the processes leading to injustice.

Peart and MacKinnon (2018) analyze the dimensions of emancipatory knowing, pointing out that existing hegemonic (or dominant) cultural values could hide discriminatory political and social processes. To overcome that obstacle, nurses should be open to critical reflection on their personal responses.

In addition to the theory, Chinns book Peace and Power complements emancipatory knowing with group processes concepts of PEACE abbreviation. They are praxis and empowerment, awareness, cooperation, and evolvement. An example of effective critical analysis and resourceful imagining is health-promoting to help professionals work toward social and health equities.

Emancipatory knowing could be authenticated in collaborative practices and socially responsible activities. For example, feminist-inspired actions or community-based studies could contribute to identifying injustice, providing evidence of changes, monitoring their sustainability, and assessing the level of empowerment felt by previously marginalized elements of society.

Emancipatory praxis, collective or individual, is considered possible when nursing practice integrates all five patterns of knowing. According to Chinn and Kramers model, the patterns of knowing to represent different dimensions: an ontological (being), an epistemological (knowing), and an ethical (moral) dimension that drives towards praxis (action). In other words, nursing praxis embodies a synthesis of art, science, ethics, personal knowing, and aesthetics aimed at emancipation (social justice). Therefore, Chinn and Kramers theory of emancipatory knowing shows that nursing is a political discipline.

The last part of the article contains a description of Canadian nursing practices. The authors name important documents (Social Justice, Code of Ethics, Blueprint for Action) related to emancipatory knowing, analyze the articles reflecting the level of nurse practitioners awareness, and promote the value of emancipatory knowing implementation.

Opinion

Question: Has nursing lost its way in terms of social justice and needs to return to its roots?

Considering the question of whether nursing has lost its way in terms of social justice after I have read the article, I tend to respond negatively. I disagree that nursing has totally lost its social-changing nature. Still, the nursing practice should be focused on social justice. Therefore, emancipatory knowing should obtain the central and leading role within nursing practice.

Rationale for Opinion

Throughout history, social justice activism has been an integral part of nursing practice. Even in the late 19th century, nurses used the practice of examining the sociopolitical conditions to improve the affected populations health. The central role of social justice was demonstrated by Florence Nightingale, Lavinia Dock, Margaret Sanger, and other famous women involved in nursing practice. Those are examples of emancipatory knowing significance in the early days of professional nursing.

Nowadays, emancipatory knowing discourse is reflected in a wide range of nursing literature. It is utilized to analyze the colonial context, socially inclusive interventions, nurses struggle with poverty and abuse, etc.

Nurses are sensible to health inequities and recognize the need for critical thinking training. In addition, many ethical codes refer to Chinn and Kramers emancipatory knowing model and claim that emancipatory knowing should obtain the central and leading role within nursing practice. That model is used by individuals and collaborative groups as a frame to make change proposals toward social justice and against health disparities. These activities are aimed at pushing our society forward.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the chosen article investigates Chinn and Kramers nursing knowledge development model, focusing on emancipatory knowing for nursing praxis.

Social justice advocacy is one of the core competencies and a part of a nursing professional framework.

Emancipatory knowing provides the ability to reveal health inequities generated by various sociopolitical processes and determine actions to make a change identified as nursing praxis.

Reflection-in-action, as well as action-in-reflection, should be the key activities in nurses daily work to contribute to social justice.