Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Vertical Social Cohesion: Linking Concept To Practice, Valarie Vat Kamatsiko

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article addresses gaps in linking the conceptualization and practice of vertical social cohesion. Through a review of literature, examination of field-based case studies and focused discussions with academics, the article crystalizes the understanding of vertical social cohesion—often restricted to state-society relations—and offers four mutually reinforcing strands of the vertical dimension that are cognizant of the hybridity of state, non-state, formal and informal institutions that exist in most societies. Through a deeper reflection on practice, the article discusses two considerations for strengthening the practice of vertical social cohesion that should start with intentional consideration of the vertical dimension of social …

The Rebels' Credibility Dilemma: A New Approach To The Search For Credibility Towards The International Community And The Population, Theò Bajon

Peace and Conflict Studies

By being part into the theory of the rebels' credibility dilemma, this research takes its framework in a historical analysis of relations between rebel groups and governments, in order to better understand the mechanisms of demands and negotiations between these two actors. In this paper, we propose to test the validity of the theory of the rebels' credibility dilemma in Latin America, and to provide specific precision to this geographical area. For that, our approach proposes an historical and political study on data going from 1945 to 2019. The study is characterized by the creation of specific classifications and a …

Civil Society Leaders’ Experiences Of Peacebuilding In Londonderry/Derry City, Northern Ireland: Transforming Cultural And Psychological Barriers, Leonardo Luna, Sean Byrne

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article reviews the empirical data the second author collected from 120 semi-structured interviews with the leaders of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and funding agency development officers conducted during the summer of 2010 in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. The research explores 44 Derry City respondents' experiences and perceptions regarding external economic aid in the Northern Ireland peace process. To this end, this article explores the role of economic aid from the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) and the European Union (EU) Peace and Reconciliation or Peace 3 Fund in engaging with civil society in transforming psychological and cultural …

Responding To Violence From Abroad: The Mexican Diaspora Mobilising From Brussels And Paris Through Art-Based Strategies, Larisa Lara-Guerrero

Peace and Conflict Studies

Over 150,000 people were intentionally killed in Mexico since 2006, after the Mexican government decided to openly combat organized crime. Against the backdrop of the security crisis, members of Mexican society have developed national and transnational strategies to contribute to the respond to the rampant violence in their homeland.

By introducing a transdisciplinary approach and peacebuilding theories, this paper argues that Mexican migrants living in Brussels and Paris have been able to orchestrate transnational art-based strategies to contribute to the violence alleviation in their country of origin. In particular, this empirical paper argues that Mexican migrants living in these two …

The Sound Of The Sun: Religious Understandings Of Peace And The Role Of Religious Leaders In Peacebuilding―A Qualitative Study In Bosnia And Herzegovina, Stipe Odak

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article discusses the different roles of religious leaders in peacebuilding processes, and their specific understanding of peace. It is based on analysis of 75 in-depth interviews with Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim religious leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina, conducted in the period from 2015 to 2017. In the first part, peace is analyzed as a concept that contains elements of giftness, spirituality, and praxis. Arguing for the relevance of all three elements, the article warns against possible misunderstandings that can come when peace is assessed only through directly measurable indicators. In the second part, peacebuilding activities of religious leaders are …

Qualitative Insider Research In A Government Institution: Reflections On A Study Of Policy Capacity, Bobby Cameron

The Qualitative Report

Embarking on a qualitative Ph.D. research project in public administration is often daunting for novice researchers. For those students who consider adopting an emic or insider approach for their research, the ethical, methodological, and analytical challenges that lay ahead may seem insurmountable at times. In this article, I reflect on my experience as a Ph.D. student completing qualitative research with my colleagues to study policy capacity in a provincial government in Canada. I review how I constructed an ethical framework by integrating policy from Research Ethics Boards and government. Throughout the article, I deal primarily with ethical considerations and the …

Pulling Out Of Afghanistan, Suzanne Riskin

be Still

This piece was written on a casual day at work when there was not any particular event happening. I realized how much of an impact a decision made so far away from home could have on my personal growth as a medical educator.

Conducting Field Work With Microfinance Programs’ Participants In A Non-Western Setting: A Reflexive Account, Mohammad Shahjahan Chowdhury

The Qualitative Report

While volumes of procedural guidelines are available on how to conduct fieldwork, in practice a researcher encounters various challenges and dilemmas in the field. This paper presents a holistic view of the puzzles this researcher encountered in gaining access, negotiating positionality, application of the pre-determined methodology, and ensuring ethics during his fieldwork with microfinance program participants in a non-Western setting. This paper contributes to the fieldwork literature by enhancing a researcher’s understanding of the unanticipated challenges.

Designed Generalization From Qualitative Research, Ian H. Falk, John Guenther

The Qualitative Report

In our earlier work on generalizing from qualitative research (GQR) we identified our two-decade struggle to have qualitative research outcomes formally “listened to” by policy personnel and bureaucratic systems in general, with mixed success. The policy sector often seems reluctant to acknowledge that qualitative research findings can be generalized, so impacts tend to be informal or simply ignored. The “official” methodological literature on generalizing from qualitative research is epitomized by Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) still oft quoted, “The only generalization is: there is no generalization” (p. 110). We now understand there are many alternative possibilities for generalizing. In this paper …

Social Representations Of Bogota - Colombia Inhabitants Regarding A Conditional Cash Transfer Policy, Juan S. Hernández, Wilson G. Jiménez-Barbosa, Johanna S. Acuña

The Qualitative Report

The current article shows the development of a research process whose main objective was to explain the influence of the social representations of the inhabitants of Bogotá, Colombia in the implementation of the public policy of conditional cash transfers “Más Familias en Acción.” For this aim, a qualitative study of hermeneutic design was conducted with beneficiaries of the program and non-beneficiaries, in which, through the application of semi-structured interviews, the most frequent social representations about subsidies, policies, work, education, health, among other relevant issues related to this public policy were identified and once the information was coded by using the …

Power, Emotions, And Violent Conflicts, Daniel Rothbart

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

Hatred, fear, and disdain—these are emotions that drive conflict protagonists to commit acts of violence against their adversaries. Conventional thinking among conflict analysts holds that the private realm of negative emotions exhibited by conflict actors is distinct fundamentally from the public world of objective causal drivers of conflict, such as poverty, structural violence and proliferation of small arms. However, such conventional thinking regarding this inherent duality of emotions and power cannot for the social-psychic force of affect emotions that intersects with the conflict dynamics. In many conflict settings, the release of such a force is a political act, with the …

Metro De Medellín: Urban Infrastructure And Historical Memory In The Creation Of Territorial Belonging And Identity, Phoenix Paz, Paula-Andrea Valencia-Londoño

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

Medellín and its sister cities in the Valle de Aburrá, Colombia is are renowned for their polarized past, a site of violent encounter between drug cartels, paramilitary groups, urban guerillas, and national forces from the 1970s until today. However, for over a century, it has also been a beacon of hope for thousands of people forcibly displaced by the country’s rural inter intercity violence or hoping to better their lives through participating in the growing industrial sector. In November 1995, just two years after the death of Pablo Escobar and the dissolution of the Medellín Cartel, the Metro of Medellín …

Wellbeing And Resilience: A Grounded Theory Using A Trauma-Informed Lens For A Healing-Centered Peacebuilding, Angi D. Yoder-Maina

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

In many parts of the world, entire generations and nations live in chronic violence and have existed in survival mode for decades. The exposure to violence has long-lasting effects that are not well accounted for in conflict analysis, stabilization efforts, peacebuilding, and governance initiatives. Extreme exposure to violence, abuse, neglect, and marginalization negatively affects levels of resilience and the ability of affected nations to transition from war to peace. Symptoms associated with trauma in individuals influence all levels of society and aspects of governance and security when large segments of a population are affected. There are three mainstream responses: the …

Interracial Dialogues In Dixie: Expressing Emotions To Promote Racial Reconciliation, Jeneve R. Brooks Phd, Sharon Everhardt Phd, Samantha Earnest Phd, Imren Dinc Phd

Peace and Conflict Studies

Given the legacy of racial injustice and mistrust that continues to plague race relations in the United States, it is important that citizens of different racial backgrounds come together to share their feelings and thoughts about race issues in order to advance racial reconciliation in their own communities. Saunders (1999) asserts that such dialogues can transform interracial relationships that could inspire the larger community to change itself. This study presents the results of nine interracial focus groups from two dialogues on race relations events held in Dothan, Alabama in 2015 and 2016. Our findings illustrate that many Black respondents displayed …

Avoiding The ‘Anthropocene’?: An Assessment Of The Extent And Nature Of Engagement With Environmental Issues In Peace Research, Rhys Kelly Dr

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article critically examines the extent and nature of engagement with environmental issues within the field of peace research, and specifically with the unfolding ecological crisis (‘the Anthropocene’). A representative sample of journals and book series associated with peace research were analysed in order to a. quantify the extent of engagement with climate change and other environmental issues in peace research, and b. assess the range of discursive positions vis-a-vis the environment represented in the sample. The article finds that, in comparison to other ‘thematic niches’, environmental issues have received limited attention. It also finds that the dominant orientation of …

Eliminating Silos: Developing System Design For Information Sharing In Violence Prevention, Jacqueline Kulaga

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The 21st century has brought about changing social perspectives on victimization and offender accountability related to sexual violence. States across the United States have established, and continue to develop, legislation and protocols to address such violence. While there has been a great shift in combating this form of violence, it is essential to create structures to enhance services for victims as well as create recommendations for those who work to hold offenders of these violent crimes accountable. This dissertation was conducted using a qualitative content analysis (QCA) of documents from the Palm Beach County Sexual Assault Response Team (PBC SART), …

Online Communication Wars: A Critical Recursive Frame Analysis Of Online Responses To The Article Entitled, “This Is Why Colin Kaepernick Took A Knee”, Rebecca Jean Arklie

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The World Wide Web provides us with a doorway to explore our world and access to social media; a “place” where we can keep in touch with family and friends and meet people from different cultures. Social media provides us with the ability to communicate using an Avatar, providing us with anonymity. Unfortunately, this anonymity gives people the freedom to unapologetically express their opinions, using any type of language they desire, without fear of repercussions. This study of the social and cultural implications from anonymous, unrestrained comments in a discussion thread will interest communications experts, psychologists, academics, and peacekeepers because …

Womenwarography: A Qualitative Exploration Of Women, War, And Humanitarianism In Junction City, Kansas, Kimberly Janine Hamilton-Wright

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

There has been significant attention paid to localized humanitarianism initiatives by women military spouses in military communities. What has been missing from the discourse is the study of the intersections between military veterans and military spouses, particularly as relates to women. This study seeks to bridge the gaps in understanding the experiential intersections between women military veterans and women military spouses. Additionally, the study introduces womenwarography: the tri-fold, collective study of women, war, and humanitarianism. Thematic narrative inquiry methodology was applied to explore and comparatively analyze the experiences between eight women military veterans and eight women military spouses in Junction …

Identity Formation During Nonviolent Protests: A Thematic And Structural Narrative Analysis Of Interviews Conducted With March For Our Lives Protesters, Richard Shawn Queeney

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

In the spring of 2018, student protesters around the United States took to the streets and campuses of their schools to call for tighter gun control laws following the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, FL. The highly visible nonviolent protest movement, known as the March for Our Lives (MFOL), was carried out by young people still in middle or high school and was fraught with risks that included disagreement with parents, teachers, and school administrators, detention or other penalties on their school record, and threats of violent harassment from counter protesters. MFOL protesters in and …

Understanding Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes And The Safety Needs Of Jewish People In South Florida, Ningxin Li

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 514,000 Jewish immigrants fled from different countries during World War II and migrated to South Florida. They came from Poland, Russia, Cuba, Brazil, France, Syria, Israel, and other countries, hoping to find a more tolerant and secure place to raise their families. However, anti-Semitic violence and incidents have occurred over the years. This dissertation relies on Social Identity Theory and Human Needs Theory to understand the causes of the conflicts among the different groups. Using a quantitative methodology, the author collected information on participants’ perceptions toward anti-Semitism and safety needs. This study included 300 participants of the second and …

Strangers In The Classroom: A Study Of Black Males, Curriculum Bias, And Protracted Identity Conflict In Public Schools, Adrian N. Carter

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

"Strangers in the Classroom" is an instrumental case study research that examines the Black male student as a stranger in Title 1 middle school classroom due to the subtleties of cultural domination and racial bias in the English Language Arts curriculum. The structural, direct, and cultural violence experienced by Black people in America, ranging from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Willie Lynch, Jim Crow, and institutionalized racism, have resulted in a damaged identity and post-traumatic slavery syndrome of Black Americans. The same root of racism that founded the United States of America includes the formation of the K-12 and higher education …

A Culture Of Corruption: A Case Study Of The National Culture Affecting The Socioeconomic Outcome Of Haiti, Dwindell Jean-Louis Sr

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the impact of organizational culture on Haiti from a socio-economic standpoint. The study used a case study approach in examining how Haiti’s national organizational culture influences the organizational structure of the various entities that make up the overall system. Overall, this study explored the influence that culture has in the shaping of a collective phenomenon. The established institutions are themselves products of the dominant cultural value systems, and in examining this system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs, this study aims to better highlight how the current organizational structure is fueling corruption. Even with the extensive history …

Teaching Peace By Using Nonviolent Communication For Difficult Conversations In The College Classroom, Sara Koopman, Laine Seliga

Peace and Conflict Studies

Having empathy and respect for oneself and others when engaging in difficult dialogue is an essential part of peace education. Gandhi emphasized that involving emotions was more transformative than purely intellectual approaches to education. Nonviolent communication (NVC), as developed by Marshall Rosenberg, is a tool for fostering empathy and building connection across difference. Using NVC for difficult conversations in any college classroom is a way of mainstreaming peace education across the curriculum. Though there is literature on difficult conversations in the college classroom, and on the effectiveness of NVC in general and in K-12 classrooms, there is very little on …

Kiss Of Love Campaign: Contesting Public Morality To Counter Collective Violence, Sonia Krishna Kurup Miss

Peace and Conflict Studies

The paper studies the immense opposition to a nonviolent campaign against the practice of moral policing in Kerala to understand the dominant spaces, collective identities, and discourses that give shape to the outrage of public morality in India. The campaign through its politics specifically targeted rightwing and political groups as well as socially embedded familial and institutional structures that exercise control over individuals through patriarchal regimes. The adverse reaction to the campaign revealed that collective aggression or violence can be used to impose majoritarian values and exert social control through the authority of public morality and everyday acts of moral …