Lizet van Donkersgoed

Sloothaak 55
3763ZB Soest
The Netherlands

Phone: +31 6 44 654 645 (personal and professional)
Email: lizet.vandonkersgoed@hu.nl (professional), lizet1956@gmail.com (personal)
Websites: https://www.hu.nl/https://www.internationalhu.com/https://www.hu.nl/onderzoek/sociale-innovatie

Where can we find the inspired imagination that is going to help us fuel the cooperative relational processes that can make a better world? In fields of work as diverse as music, education, law, philosophy, ethics, religion and wisdom traditions this is the question that for Lizet van Donkersgoed-Van Zwet stands out. In social (relational) constructionism she found the worldview that sustains this quest. As it starts from a continuous co-creation of social reality within local-social-historical contexts, it embraces a dialogue of ‘reflexive practitioners’. Dialoguing different inspirations and imaginations she feels may help co-constructing new initiatives for the benefit of all involved.

Lizet studied piano and musicology (BA) and was a piano teacher for more than 20 years. Starting from a religious background as a Protestant her study of social science and philosophy awakened a profound interest in ethics. Looking for more sources of inspiration she explored spiritual (western esoteric) knowledge—such as psychological astrology as a language of human traits—as well as eastern wisdom traditions like, amongst others, the Hindu tradition of Advaita Vedanta. Feeling the need to understand more of society as a broader playing field of rules and regulations, she studied law (MA) and for some years worked as a notary-candidate. Since 2005 she works as a lecturer and researcher of ethics in (socio-legal) practices at the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. In addition, together with HU-colleagues she provides workshops in and outside school to enhance ethical sensitivity in practice. In 2019 she finished a relational constructionist PhD project exploring ethics in Dutch public welfare practice. She found that professional case meetings can turn into ‘ethical space’ when relational responsibility is practiced. She is now engaged in research that explores relational responsibility in various educational settings.

Family life means a lot to Lizet: she is married and has four children and three grandchildren.

To view Lizet’s doctoral thesis, click here.