The objectives of this Project are (a) to promote research, theory-building, education, and outreach on the role of cultural production and narratives in conflict processes, (b) to generate dynamic conversations and exchange between the humanities and conflict resolution, and (c) to establish an identifiable concentration within the conflict resolution field on the role of creativity and culture in conflict and peacebuilding.

The “Project on Creativity and Culture in Conflict and Peacebuilding” will address the role of cultural production and narratives (e.g., oral testimony, popular expressive traditions, literature, public folklore, mass media, photography, theater, music, mural painting) in (a) the escalation of social conflicts, (b) resistance to oppression, and (c) the practice of peacebuilding. Social conflicts are broadly conceived to encompass conflicts at various levels--between states, within states, and within communities. Also of interest are social divisions characterized by lack of mutual recognition, inequality, and/or oppression--for example, divisions along the lines of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social class, or global regions.