Collaborative Publications as Embodiment of Multicultural Trauma-Informed Dispositions: Cultivating Inclusive Writing Teams

Focused Discussion
Anna Berardi,  Beronica Salazar  

The workshop facilitators present an ethical framework for engaging in collaborative writing projects with students that both detail and embody the values and dispositions of Multicultural Trauma-Informed Standards for Practice (MCTI-SP). The intent is to provide a contextual application of multicultural and trauma-informed principles as a model for promoting safe, equitable, and vibrant communities. The MCTI-SP is briefly presented, followed by details for establishing and supporting student writing teams, processes that mirror MCTI-SP guiding principles. Examples include transparent work processes, identifying vulnerabilities within shifting roles and identities, acknowledging joy in diverse community partnerships, and intentional processing of internal and interpersonal experiences. The primary case example details a collaborative writing team consisting of diverse students and faculty spanning two different universities. Historic experiences of various team members will be shared, for which this project offers a corrective. Participants will also be invited to discuss ways to apply MCTI-SP to their own work. Abuses of privilege occur on all ecosystemic levels. Within academia, it is historically common to rely on student research assistance with little credit given in co-authorship. The assumed narrative is that those in lesser power serve those in power as part of earning their future seniority. Mentoring becomes exploitation, with perhaps no hope of becoming true partners. The application of MCTI-SP to a collaborative writing project invites all of us to rethink how to embody MCTI-SP in our professional roles.