MOSAIC

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTION INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLOQUIUM (MOSAIC)
The Moral and Social Action Interdisciplinary Colloquium (MOSAIC) was one of those rather special vibrant and dynamic groups that sometime emerge in the early stages of a new field, where – usually early career – scholars are energised and supported by lively sharing and debating. They can be the crucible of new thinking, and they are marked by the camaraderie of shared experience. They often lead to lifetime friendships and collaborations. MOSAIC began in 1977 with 14 people; it grew over thirty years into a network of over a hundred.

In 1977 in Britain there were few people working on moral development, or even moral education. It was a marginal field, not warmly supported by the mainstream. Derek Wright, then a Professor at the University of Leicester, was a leading figure in the field, and had written an innovative and influential book (The Psychology of Moral Behaviour, 1971). Derek had become friends with Larry Kohlberg and had visited him in Harvard. He decided in 1977 to bring together everyone in Britain who was working on moral development – from the social sciences, education, philosophy and the humanities. And to bring Larry and his team to the event.

Around 100 people came to the conference in Leicester. Some of them were familiar with, even engaged with, a reason-based approach to moral development; some were familiar with it but critical. Throughout the week, the conference sessions shared research, practice, experience and commentary. It was an exciting time. But for some of us it was momentous. At the very least, especially if we were working on moral reasoning, it was a treat to interact with Larry and the Harvard team from a real, well-founded and dynamic research centre, rather than working as marginalised individuals. A particular energy came from outside the sessions; many of us talked through the night, in small groups, intensely and across disciplines, which was rare in those days. (Our average age was about 33, so we did have the energy…)

At the end of the week, a small group of 14 of us decided we had found an important intellectual niche and we wanted to continue. We were all engaged with education, whether as researchers or practitioners, but four of us also identified as philosophers, and eight as psychologists. For the next couple of years we met for several intense and cosy weekends in each other’s homes and departments. Out of this came a collection of essays (Weinreich-Haste, H. & Locke, D. (1983) Morality in the Making; thought, action and social context, Wiley) and our individual research grew.

Then we decided we needed new blood. For the next MOSAIC meeting, each of us would invite one other person: they had to be people who were able, and willing, to engage in cross and interdisciplinary dialogue – not universal skills in the then-siloed British academic world, which was often quite territorial.

So, MOSAIC grew, expanded its scope. We soon made contact with international colleagues, and held some conferences in Poland, Germany, Hungary and the Netherlands, as well as in the UK. We had a regular Newsletter, and a Monograph series. In the days before social media, we had a lively network sharing ideas and writings. As the original group became more senior, we actively fostered younger scholars. The quality of informality, openness and the encouragement of pushing boundaries remained a key goal. The conferences focused on a wide range of themes such as: morality, forgiveness and vengeance; morality and democracy; the moral and religious challenges facing education in Europe, national and global citizenship; global citizen development and the sources of moral values; moral discourse and competence.

The conferences brought together small but highly international groups of scholars from every corner of the globe, ranging from PhD students to well established academics in the field. By the millennium, MOSAIC had over a hundred subscribers. Moving into the 21st Century MOSAIC was passed to Neil Ferguson, and he continued to co-ordinate MOSIAC conferences, at either Liverpool Hope University or in conjunction with Georg Lind at the Universität of Konstanz. Alongside the conferences a website, hosted at Liverpool Hope, was created.

It was a place of stimulation, challenge, support and friendship. I would recommend any young scholar in an emerging field to create a similar community.

Original MOSAIC Members
Glynis Breakwell, Nick Emler, Helen Haste, Peter Kutnick, Don Locke, Roger Straughan, Janet Strivens, Monica Taylor, David Thornton.
Sadly, no longer with us: Tom Kitwood, Richard Pring, Peter Tomlinson, Ian Vine, Derek Wright.