ABSTRACT
Dialogism is simultaneously both correct and incorrect. It is correct in leading us away from a merely self-celebratory stance and permitting us to see just how intimately intertwined self and other are. Dialogism is incorrect, however, in assuming that self and other are always equal contributors to the co-constructive process. This chapter presents two cases to illustrate how power undermines genuine dialogism. Each case illustrates the various ways, often subtle, by which dominant groups both wield their power and ensure its maintenance by engaging in monologues masquerading as dialogues. Although some approaches employed by dominant groups to construct serviceable others and suppress a genuine dialogism seem outrageously apparent, finesse and subtlety also frequently appear. For a dialogue to occur, at least two differing points of view must be engaged. Anything that tries to fuse these different perspectives into one undoes the truth of dialogism.
