Peacebuilding Through Dialogue.
Healthy dialogue is extremely important to strengthen and expand cooperation in the community and one of the main ways of resolving conflicts is communication between people. This is the most common method, and includes talks.
It is important to prepare a suitable environment for dialogue; while dialogue is often confused with other forms of discourse, it belongs in a distinctive category of its own; it doesn’t involve arguing for a point of view, as debates, it’s not a method of reaching agreement or taking decisions as negotiation, it is not only emerge when participants trust and respect each other, interrupt their judgments, and listen to all points of view, as discussions. So it is important to find a mutual or common ground between the parties in the community for example, talking about exciting things for both sides and should be carried out with a focus on win-win solution. The methods of dialogue involve the interaction of collective individuals; in the daily life conflicts which can be resolved through dialogue and various types of communication. And to ensure that positive results of such activities is achieved; must be:
First, to ensure objective consideration of controversial issues;
Second, free discussion of all the positions and points of view in the presence of equal opportunities to participate in the discussion of each subject;
Third, design and discuss the results in the form of recommendations, summarizing reveal the identity of views and positions on other issues. Throughout the community dialogue, a variety of activities will be used to foster community collaboration. These activities will engage stakeholders/partners at all levels, breakdown silos, drive innovation, and institute partnerships and collaboration among a variety of community stakeholders to work together to define a unanimous project scope, roles and responsibilities.
The aim of dialogue is to share information, find mutual thoughts, and recognize existing links between different relations and various extents of cooperation. The dialogue should be smoothly flexible, according to the context, and conducted within the structure, in the appropriate format and level, including regional, sub-regional or national level, regional and sub-regional organizations, as well as representatives of NGOs, should be bound by this dialogue in order to achieve the good well in the community first and then to create a good nation state. Good governance should strengthen internal and external ties of the Parties and make a fundamental constituent of this dialogue. Finally, expansion of social dialogue and cover most socioeconomic problems is a sign of the prevailing model of social partnership; because over time the practice of social dialogue will overcome limits; resolve purely people relations and conflicts. In this sense; it is about establishing the ideology of the state or nationalism.
Peacebuilding Through Dialogue is an invitation to scholars, students, and engaged citizens to discover the power and versatility of dialogue as a peacebuilding practice. Edited by Peter Stearns, the book features sixteen authors considering dialogue in the context of teaching and learning; dialogue as part of personal and interpersonal growth; and dialogue in conflict resolution and other situations of great change. With its expansive approach, the book makes original and invaluable contributions to peace studies, civic studies, education studies, organizational studies, conflict resolution studies, and dignity studies.
Praise for Peacebuilding Through Dialogue
“This vibrant, insightful volume sheds new light on dialogue processes that serve as the DNA of peacebuilding and help bridge the chasms of deeply divided societies. The book is especially groundbreaking in its focus on the links between ‘inner peace,’ including dynamics such as compassion and dignity, and broad social change. It is this constant interplay between transformation of the self and transformation of society that gives dialogue its tensile strength, and the authors capture these dynamics compellingly. In an increasingly polarized world, this book offers hope and a reflection on how we can change society, and ourselves.”
– Melanie Greenberg, Managing Director for Peacebuilding, Humanity United; former Chief Executive Officer, the Alliance for Peacebuilding
“This set of chapters on the use of dialogue in peacebuilding is powerfully informative and beautifully written. Engaging in dialogue is challenging work, and this fine book provides substantial help.”
– Nel Noddings, Lee L. Jacks Professor of Education, Emerita, at Stanford University; author, Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education
“Peacebuilding Through Dialogue is a valuable collection of reflections on the meaning, complexity, and application of dialogue. Any student and/or practitioner of dialogue, including peace and justice educators, will find important value in these essays from a diverse range of scholars and practitioners. The volume offers in-depth and rigorous insight into the theory and practice of dialogue in education, personal development, and [conflict resolution], insight that seems of even greater ethical and political importance today.”
– Dale Snauwaert, Professor, Educational Theory and Social Foundations of Education, University of Toledo
“With the themes of respect for human dignity, spirit of mutuality, and creativity as common threads, all three sections [of Peacebuilding Through Dialogue] cohere into a comprehensive whole illustrating the deeply educative role that persistent dialogue can and does play in fostering the type of human becoming that educators and the field of education endeavor to effect in theory and practice, a becoming born from inner transformation that leads to mutual growth and creativity. Moreover, taken together, the chapters in this volume clarify that whether ameliorating differences among seemingly different groups in the classroom, mediating international conflicts, or collaboratively solving local issues through dialogic engagement, fruitful dialogue requires dispositions and skills that must be cultivated, and thus all of the chapters have important implications for education.”
– Nozomi Inukai, Research Fellow, Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, DePaul University
How to resolve conflict through DIALOGUE
The Oxford English dictionary defines dialogue as ‘a conversation carried on between two or more persons ‘. The ancient meaning of the word dialogue (dia lagos) is a” flow of meaning” which stands in stark contrast to the word ’debate’ which means to ‘beat down’, or even the word ‘discussion’ which has the same route as ‘percussion’ and ‘concussion’-to break things up.
Dialogue is a process where the participants commit to listen, reflect and question with a curious mindset in order to seek a shared understanding. A resolution dialogue has the purpose of resolving conflict through dialogue.
Suspending judgements and assumptions is essential to establishing a ‘flow of meaning’ and finding shared meaning within a dialogue between conflicting participants. The emphasis within the following four key stages is on nurturing participant’s ability to engage in collective thinking, reflection and enquiry in order to develop a meaningful dialogue and design meaningful relationships. In this model, participants move through the following four stages with the neutral facilitator (mediator).
Establish a safe environment for dialogue. Establishing the environment involves clarifying the purpose of the dialogue and building a ‘dialogue container’ within which meaningful issues will emerge to be explored. It is essential at this stage to develop a consensus between those involved as to the purpose and structure of the meeting.
Develop a common base of knowledge-conceptual and personal. This is done by exploring beliefs and assumptions being made which requires the suspension of judgement. The tendency towards making judgements and assumptions are barriers to listening and creative thinking.
Explore questions and conflict. The dialogue needs to focus on one or more specific matters with a view to probing and deepening the dialogue, increasing the suspension of judgement (when people edit, delete, generalise and distort in an attempt to frame the dialogue around their own assumptions and judgements). In this way curiosity and creativity are allowed to flow more freely.
Moving from dialogue to action. This involves assessing the experiences arising from the dialogue, learning from these and embedding the learning in the form of new skills for communicating together, reaching decisions together and resolving conflict.
By following these 4 stages, the participants in conflicts are able to work with the neutral facilitator whose aim is to motivate, empower and support the participants to engage in a meaningful dialogue making decisions together and resolving conflict together.
