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This wiki was established to support a team in creating a pattern language of social change. A pattern language is a conceptual framework of interrelated design elements, problem-solution guidelines, or things to keep in mind when designing a whole system of some kind. In addition to naming and describing patterns - these design elements and the problems they address - a pattern language seeks to articulate interrelationships between patterns. Each pattern description names other patterns that depend on it and other patterns it depends on.

The first pattern language was innovated by architect Christopher Alexander and five colleagues. They researched many cultures to identify factors that give a community that elusive, wholesome, vibrant quality that Alexander dubbed "the quality that has no name". They published their findings in their now classic 1977 book A PATTERN LANGUAGE (the link shows some of their 253 patterns, as well). Since then, pattern languages have been developed in many fields from computer programming and curricula design to community information systems , sustainable economics and, most recently, high quality group process .

We imagine that this pattern language of social change will include social change dynamics, theories, tactics, and strategies. As of this writing, we have not yet decided as a team whether we will take a normative approach - limiting our patterns to those that we believe are most important to design FOR - or whether to take a holistic descriptive approach - i.e., exploring all dynamics, theories, tactics and strategies, including those we personally dislike or disagree with - and noting how they fit into the bigger picture of social change. For example, while we would not be inclined to advocate war, history leaves no doubt that war has been a powerful stimulus for social change, in both positive and negative ways.

The original inspiration for this exercise was our observation that social change activists spend considerable energy arguing over whose tactics and strategies are the right ones - and often going ahead and doing what they were going to do anyway, often in ways that are poorly coordinated and far less effective than they might be - and often in total ignorance of many other options available to them. We hope that initiating an evolving pattern language will shift the discussion to the relative merits and shortcomings of various approaches and how they might best synergize to create the societal changes we hope for.