What is Dialogism

The dependence of one being on another, and the notion that the way things are is not the way they had to be, are core topics of contingency, and they inspire this chapter's intervention in discourse about supporting adjunct (or contingent) faculty. Instead of accepting the current institution-adjunct faculty relationship as an inevitable consequence of the contingency of the adjunct role, this essay suggests a means for putting contingency in service of adjunct faculty support. Literature scholars argue that literary techniques offer models for leveraging contingency toward productive ends. Accordingly, this essay draws on the concept of dialogism in literary and learning theory. Dialogism challenges the relationship between something given and something contingent and suggests that the interplay between the two entities reshapes interlocutors' understanding of the world. Therefore, it could be a theoretical catalyst for institutions to define adjunct faculty support practices that employ the developmental potential of contingency toward improving the adjunct faculty experience.