American University
Browse

Peace-research, practitioners, partisans and prisoners: Developing a critical approach to international peace and conflict resolution studies

Download (6.84 MB)
thesis
posted on 2023-09-06, 03:32 authored by Matthew Thomas Bowles

Under pretenses to 'neutrality' and 'objectivity,' traditional approaches to International Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) are failing to challenge dominant power structures and, at worst, to acquiesce to the liberal agenda of the corporate state. This thesis critiques contemporary trends that are aligning mainstream approaches to IPCR with dominant interests, thereby exposing the possessive investment in IPCR studies. It then contributes to the field by developing a critical approach to IPCR theory and pedagogy. The case study is an alternative political education project---developed by activists and political ex-prisoners from conflicts in Israel-Palestine and the North of Ireland---that immerses students in those conflict regions through study trips, activist solidarity projects, and internships with grassroots organizations. Normally marginalized conflict actors are empowered to speak and reclaim agency, while students can put a human face on the conflict, relate it to their lives, and take a stand for a just solution.

History

Publisher

ProQuest

Language

English

Notes

Thesis (M.A.)--American University, 2001.

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/1961/thesesdissertations:5570

Media type

application/pdf

Access statement

Part of thesis digitization project, awaiting processing.

Usage metrics

    Theses and Dissertations

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC