The Little Books of Justice and Peacemaking
DESCRIPTION:
So we’d all like a more peaceful world -- no wars, no poverty, no more racism, no community disputes, no office tensions, no marital skirmishes.
Lisa Schirch in her timely book sets forth paths to such realities. In fact, she points a way to more than the absence of conflict. She foresees justpeace -- a sustainable state of affairs because it is a peace which insists on justice.
How to arrive there is the subject of this book. Peacebuilding recognizes the complexity and the effort this elusive ideal requires. Schirch singles out four critical actions that must be undertaken if peace is to take root at any level) -- 1.) waging conflict nonviolently; 2.) reducing direct violence; 3.) transforming relationships; and 4.) building capacity.
She never imagines this to be a quick -- or an individual -- task. Her clear and incisive strategy encourages enabling many approaches to peace, honestly assessing who holds power, and persuading and coercing, but always with keen judgment and precise timing.
From Schirch’s 15 years of experience as a peacebuilding consultant in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
CONTENTS:
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Defining Strategic Peacebuilding
3. Values for Peacebuilding
4. Relational Skills for Peacebuilding
5. Analysis for Peacebuilding
6. An Overview of Peacebuilding Processes
7. Waging Conflict Nonviolently
8. Reducing Direct Violence
9. Transforming Relationships
10. Building Capacity
11. Strategic Design of Peacebuilding
12. Evaluating and Coordinating Peacebuilding
Endnotes
Selected Readings
About the Author ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
Lisa Schirch is an associate professor of peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University’s Conflict Transformation Program. A former Fulbright fellow, Schirch has 15 years of experience consulting with a network of strategic partner organizations involved in peacebuilding activities throughout the United States, Latin America, Africa, Asia, the South Pacific, and Europe. Her peacebuilding experiences include working in a refugee camp, organizing a human rights campaign, acting as a civilian peacekeeper, living in remote villages as a development field worker, consulting as an evaluator and researcher of development and peacebuilding projects, facilitating inter-ethnic dialogues, and ongoing work as a mediator and trainer. She holds a Ph.D. in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University. |
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