Power Discourse, Exclusion Discourse – the Living Library As a Dialogue Space Deconstructing Narratives That Reinforce Social Inequalities

Language and communication play a crucial role in reinforcing social inequalities because they often strengthen dominant narratives about excluded groups. Language is also a tool of power that can sustain dominant social structures through the reproduction of their narratives (Bourdieu, Language and Symbolic Power, 1991). The discourse of exclusion, based on stereotypes, prejudices, and binary thinking of "us" versus "them," is present in many institutional contexts, including education, media, and official documents.

The Living Library initiative offers an alternative to these dominant narratives by introducing a form of dialogue based on personal experiences. It gives representatives of discriminated groups the opportunity to directly present their identity and challenges of daily life, thereby weakening stereotypes reinforced by dominant perspectives. The opportunity to participate in dialogue and present one's perspective is key to changing power relations and building a fairer society (Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference, 1990).

The Living Library offers an alternative model of communication, focusing on dialogue with "others" rather than about "others". As a result, groups previously marginalized can actively shape narratives about themselves instead of merely being the object of description. Introducing this form of education promotes the inclusion of these groups into the social mainstream, giving them a voice in spaces that traditionally reinforced social hierarchies. In this way, dialogue based on equality becomes a tool for social change (Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 1970).

The Living Library is an example of a social change process emerging from a grassroots initiative that challenges traditional mechanisms of reproducing social inequalities and helps break down structural barriers that sustain inequalities. It provides space for individuals from marginalized groups to build and present narratives about themselves, thus enabling a shift in the function of institutions from those that reproduce inequalities to those that support inclusion and social justice.