Crosscurrents: against cultural narration in nursing

Nurses, like other groups throughout history, have been described as an opp ressed group. Writers who describe nurses as lacking in self-esteem, autono my, accountability and power support this view in the literature. Indeed th e cultural narration of nursing is for nurses to be subordinate. This artic le explores the emergence of horizontal violence within nursing and suggest s that it is a result of unexpressed conflict within an oppressed group. Th e author aims to raise the awareness of horizontal violence in nursing so t hat practitioners come to understand how this in itself caa be an expressio n of power. Drawing upon theories of reflective practice, the article exami nes how the educational system in nursing may have contributed to the felt oppression within the group by colluding with the cultural narrative, The c rosscurrents of cultural narration are strong and it is argued here that th e nurse needs to feel empowered in order to take action to swim against the tide. The author proposes that a model of transformatory learning based up on critical theory creates the possibility of emancipatory action in nursin g, both locally and globally.