Conflict Transformation, Peacebuilding, and Storytelling: Research from the Mauro Centre [Kietas viršelis]

This book stands as a testimonial to the profound impact of the Mauro Centre and its Ph.D. program on the field of Peace and Conflict Studies. The range of topics covered by these authors, all relatively new scholars who share insights from their doctoral dissertations completed at the Mauro Centre, demonstrates the breadth and vitality of this young and growing discipline. The chapters of the book move smoothly from research based within the local Winnipeg, Manitoba, scene to inquiries spanning national, international, and global contexts. The collection is a must-read for anyone interested in the current questions and the new directions explored through the academic study of conflict and peace. -- Neil Funk-Unrau, Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution and Associate Dean of Menno Simons College, a College of Canadian Mennonite University Stories define our identities. And they define our Others be they antagonistic or friendly. This book is about storieswho tells them, for what reason, to whom, in which context. In doing so it nudges the field of peace and conflict studies (PACS) in the direction of narrative. A dozen doctoral graduates of the Arthur Mauro integrate a range of methodologiesethnographic, phenomenological, qualitative, historicalto take us into the lives of conflict stricken individuals and groups, showing how stories, and research on stories, can be used for healing transformation. Though conscious of starting in Winnipeg, their work takes us outward to immigrants crossing into the United States, to confronting racism at the 68 Olympics, to Afghanistan, and the contested narratives of Israelis and Palestinians in five universities in Israel. It should be required reading for those taking PACS related degrees. -- Vern Redekop, professor emeritus, Saint Paul University The practice of peacebuilding and the transformation of conflict take shape within this book. This new and rapidly developing field tackles the complexity of transformative change. Here the application takes shape through the work of the 12 authors. In writing the story of their research, the authors move from theory to practice. There are treasures here that highlight the use of conflict transformation and peacebuilding in multiple contexts and at many levels from the personal to the interpersonal to the communal. Gems exist in each chapter with exemplars at multiple levels--intergroup and intragroup, organizational, and community. Complex issues of conflict are addressed from the local to the national and from immediate to intractable. Systemic issues of oppression are tackled across multiple dimensions. At each level the centering of local control and practices are highlighted. -- Cathryne L. Schmitz, University of North Carolina