Preparative, Enactive, and Intertwined Theories of Change: Cultural Practitioners Influencing Conflict in Ecuador

The use of arts-based work as a form of conflict intervention is still an emerging field, and scholarship often focuses more on the theory of this work than the application. This research article seeks to contribute to the bridge between theory and practice, by presenting the findings from a study of narrative interviews conducted in June and July of 2017 with cultural workers in Ecuador who were members of the Cultura Viva Comunitaria movement. The goal of the study was to explore practitioner’s theories of change of how arts-based cultural work influenced conflict. Through an analysis of the many theories identified, three notable categories emerged. Some practitioners described preparative impacts, impacts that came about because of the process of preparation of a work of art or cultural project. Others described enactive impacts, which were driven by the actual performance of the work. The final category was intertwined impacts, in which practitioners included both preparative and enactive elements to describe the impacts that were created. Different theories of change often corresponded to different contexts and purposes of practice.