Conference Agenda

Narratives, which comprise nearly two-thirds of the Qur'an, represent profound textual sites illustrating the perennial struggle between truth and falsehood. Beyond their theological significance, these Qur'anic narratives—when examined through the lens of Dialogical Self Theory (Hermans & Hermans-Konopka, 2010) —function as pedagogical frameworks. They instruct individuals navigating the "uncertainty" of a globalised society, where a multiplicity of conflicting I-positions often collide, on how to "re-position" the self while maintaining self-integrity.

The Prophets, as central figures in these narratives, are portrayed not as monolithic entities but as multi-voiced selves engaged in continuous dialogue between diverse internal and external "I-positions" (Hermans, 2012). Conversely, the "oppressive" or "antagonistic" figures within these accounts exemplify the DST concept of "monological self-structures," characterised by the systematic silencing of alternative voices. At the core of each narrative lies a robust act of "counter-positioning" against these dominant monological forces. The transformative agency of the Prophets depicted in these stories stems from their capacity to achieve "repositioning," thereby transcending monological constraints through an intensified internal dialogicality.

The scope of this research examines Qur'anic narratives through the fundamental conceptual lens of DST: "I-positions," "counter-positioning," and "repositioning." The analysis focuses specifically on the stories of Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, where dialogical conflicts and transformations of the self are most manifest. Furthermore, the study highlights the pedagogical value of the "repositioning" strategies offered by Qur'anic narratives for individuals facing identity and selfhood crises in contemporary society.

Utilising document analysis, a qualitative research method, this study scrutinises the mechanisms of "self-positioning," "positioning," "counter-positioning," and "repositioning." These core DST concepts are analysed through a systematic textual examination of the selected prophetic narratives.

Within the ongoing process of the inheritance and development of academic knowledge, individual scholars construct their own thought by drawing on the ideas of predecessors and engaging in “dialogue” with them through texts. This activity is commonly understood as a process in which a monolithic self reads and interprets external literature and thinks about it. From the author’s experience, however, this understanding does not fully capture what actually occurs.

When engaging deeply with particular works, one may respond not only to what scholars explicitly wrote, but also to what they did not write, as if their “voices” were present and actively participating in one’s thinking. In such moments, beyond mere interpretation, scholars’ ideas and standpoints appear to be alive and operative within the self. This paper argues that such experiences can be re-described using the conceptual framework of Dialogical Self Theory.

Scholars encountered through literature come to be formed within the self as distinct scholar I-positions, each carrying specific perspectives and ways of thinking. One’s thought is constituted through ongoing internal dialogue among these I-positions. For example, in the author’s case, repeated close reading of the works of Christopher Alexander, Niklas Luhmann, and Edmund Husserl has led to the internalization of their perspectives as central I-positions supporting the author’s thinking, alongside many other influential scholars The unique configuration and dialogical relations among these scholarly positions—assembled in this particular way only within an individual self—contribute to the distinctive character of a scholar’s thought.

From this perspective, the paper suggests that in educating the next generation of scholars, it is not sufficient merely to understand the content of texts; rather, literature must be engaged with deeply enough for scholarly perspectives to be internalized as I-positions, and present how to read in ways that enable such internalization.

This presentation explores how Dialogical Self Theory (DST) can serve as a foundational framework for addressing radicalization among youth through pedagogical interventions. While radicalization is often treated as a sociopolitical or security issue, this study reframes it as a developmental crisis within the dialogical self—where one dominant I-position suppresses internal diversity, leading to identity foreclosure and dogmatic rigidity.

We introduce the ZELVI/FLOW model (Quest for an Own Life Orientation amidst a Multitude of Interpretations) as a DST-informed educational approach that reactivates the dialogical self through structured play, religious literacy, and dialogical engagement. By encouraging adolescents to experiment with multiple I-positions—such as “I as a believer,” “I as a citizen,” and “I as a critical thinker”—ZELVI/FLOW fosters identity flexibility and resilience.

Drawing on case studies from youth care and secondary education, we demonstrate how DST enables a nuanced understanding of identity formation and offers practical tools for educators and counselors. This proposal aligns with the conference’s interdisciplinary mission by bridging DST with pedagogical theory, educational psychology, and youth development practice.

The Imported Self Theory (IST) extends my original Triadic Self Theory (TST, 2022, published 2025), which conceptualized identity as an oscillation among three internally authored structures: the Ideal Self (aspirational and metaphysical), the Fluid Self (adaptive and exploratory), and the Disposable Self (a crisis‑state enabling reconstruction). IST argues that artificial intelligence fundamentally alters the function of these three selves by introducing an externally generated layer of identity: the Imported Self. Through predictive modeling, aesthetic optimization, and algorithmic recommendation, AI increasingly assumes the role of a proxy author of aspiration, taste, and narrative self‑description. In this process, the Ideal Self becomes algorithmically templated, the Fluid Self becomes hyper‑responsive to feedback loops, and the Disposable Self becomes the default mode of identity iteration. IST describes this transformation as a form of computational Selfrupcy, in which aspiration is extracted, recomposed, and returned as externally authored identity content. The result is a structural collapse of self‑authorship and a crisis of authenticity in AI‑mediated identity formation.

Links:

Stanciulescu, G.-D. (2025). Triadic Self Theory: Identity as Oscillation, Strategy and Social Extraction. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18329345

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