Peace through Dialogue: Transforming Protracted Conflicts through Local Interactions

International peace initiatives often focus on state institutions and actors. Despite criticism over the past decades, the societal and personal dimensions of peace are still ignored in many cases. In contrast, Herbert C. Kelman's paradigm of Interactive Conflict Resolution highlights the fundamental relevance of promoting dialogue, understanding, and cooperation between conflict parties for lasting peace. It seeks to develop creative solutions for problems that underlie and drive the conflict together with the involved parties, often facilitated by third parties.

This online lecture series gathers various international researchers and practitioners related to the paradigm of Interactive Conflict Resolution. They will present and discuss their various approaches to dealing with complex conflicts and the creation of systems that support long-lasting peace. The various sessions will discuss the challenges of dealing with strong disagreements and emphasize the importance of not just resolving conflicts but transforming them. Examples from real-life conflicts, like Georgia-South Ossetia or Cyprus, will emphasize the importance of building connections across conflict lines.

This series is organized by the Department of Global Governance (Institute of the Foundations of Law) at the University of Graz, the Center for Conflict Engagement at the University of Denver, the Herbert C. Kelman Institute for Interactive Conflict Transformation, and the Conflict - Peace -Democracy Cluster.