Presenting my Research

I was so pleased to be invited to present my research at the International Peace Research Conference in Istanbul Turkey from 11 - 15th of August. The Arts and Peace Commission was chaired by Cynthia Cohen from the USA, Kiche Magak from Kenya and Maria Elisa Pinto Garcia from Colombia and brought together 36 presenters from around the globe with approximately 550 delegates form 94 countries. 

The Plenary talks by Prof. Johan Galtung and Kevin Clements were exemplary, providing attendees with a well-rounded view of the condition of peace globally. Clements spoke of “the need to shift from carnage to creation” and that the fall of global peacefulness is largely driven by internal peacefulness. He spoke of the countries that were the most peaceful as being the countries committed to gender equality and were inclusive in their democracies. I suppose that is not surprising, but it was important to have it commented upon.

The Arts and Peace stream of the conference, of which I was a part,  was inspiring. Thanks to support of Toda Institute and the enthusiastic and ever present Olivier Urbain, the offering was vast from academic presentations to practitioners’ experiences from every continent. In his presentation on his work in Kentucky, Gerard Stropnicky spoke of the values of “Agency, Authenticity, Audacity and Accuracy” that are imbedded in the theatre and peace work he does. The presentations by Dijana Milošević, Lee Perlman, Yair Dalal, Polly Walker (and more), echoed these values and reminded me that the work of arts and peace, no matter what the art form, crosses cultural and geographic divides.

Here Italian singer, actress Ilaria Tucci and American musician Rik Palieri perform together at the conference.

It was great to make new connections, to hear about exciting projects and research, and to spend a few days and evenings with like-minded people. What I realized was the field of peacebuilding, and in particular Arts and Peace, is expansive! The work and research that is being undertaken world-wide is inspiring and I cannot help but think that with every small step we will slowly infiltrate those who turn to violence and shift them toward peace.  There were three films screened that reflected this innovation and the discussions that followed gave attendees an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the innovation. As Kevin Clements said “violence is a failure of imagination”. This resonated with me and affirmed my belief that through the strategic use of the arts we can shift perception in times of conflict.

My paper is attached to this blog on a separate page titled Weaving A Web of Peace . . .