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The moral imagination : the art and soul of building peace

01 Jan 2010-
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the importance of the moral imagination in the art of social change and argue that it is a powerful force in the creation of human beings. But, they do not discuss the role of technology in social change.
Abstract: 1. On Stating the Problem and Thesis 2. On Touching the Moral Imagination: Four Stories 3. On This Moment: Turning Points 4. On Simplicity and Complexity: Finding the Essence of Peacebuilding 5. On Peace Accords: Image of a Line in Time 6. On the Gift of Pessimism: Insights from the Geographies of Violence 7. On Aesthetuics: The Art of Social Change 8. On Space: Life in the Web 9. On Mass and Movement: The Theory of the Critical Yeast 10. On Web Watching: Finding the Soul of Place 11. On Serendipity: The Gift of Accidental Sagacity 12. On Time: The Past That Lies before Us 13. On Pied Pipers: Imagination and Creativity 14. On Vocation: The Mystery of Risk 15. On Conclusions: The Imperative of the Moral Imagination
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The conservation conflict transformation (CCT) approach as mentioned in this paper is a new perspective on, and approach to, how conservationists identify, understand, prevent, and reconcile conflict in conservation issues.

357 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors make a more detailed and forensic examination of the evidence based on: the role played by sport in South Africa before and after apartheid; and drawing upon the author's own experiences garnered over more than two decades of conducting research and leading sport-based intervention initiatives in Northern Ireland and Israel.
Abstract: What, if any, is the value of sport to processes of peace and reconciliation? After introducing the largely rhetorical arguments for and against the value of using sport as a vehicle to promote peace building in divided societies, this article makes a more detailed and forensic examination of the evidence based on: the role played by sport in South Africa before and after apartheid; and second, drawing upon the author’s own experiences garnered over more than two decades of conducting research and leading sport-based intervention initiatives in Northern Ireland and Israel. The article argues that sport is intrinsically value neutral and under carefully managed circumstances it can make a positive if modest contribution to peace building. The mobilization of an engaged sociological imagination in the context of a broader human rights agenda is central to this contribution. Drawing upon notions of pragmatism, left realism and praxis, the article concludes by presenting a ‘ripple effect’ model that illustrates the circumstances under which sport can make a difference in the promotion of social justice and human rights in deeply divided societies.

143 citations


Cites background from "The moral imagination : the art and..."

  • ...Space does not permit a full discussion on the merits or otherwise of left realism, but that can be found elsewhere (Downes and Rock, 2003; Lea, 1987; Taylor, 1999; Young, 1991)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that instead of thinking in terms of fragile states, it might be theoretically and practically more fruitful to think of hybrid political orders, drawing on the resilience embedded in the communal life of societies within so-called fragile regions of the global South.
Abstract: Peacebuilding supports the emergence of stable political community in states and regions struggling with a legacy of violent conflict. This then raises the question of what political community might mean in the state in question. International peacebuilding operations have answered that question in terms of the promotion of conventional state-building along the lines of the Western Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) model as the best path out of post-conflict state fragility and towards sustainable development and peace. This article argues for peacebuilding beyond notions of the liberal peace and constructions of the liberal state. Rather than thinking in terms of fragile states, it might be theoretically and practically more fruitful to think in terms of hybrid political orders, drawing on the resilience embedded in the communal life of societies within so-called fragile regions of the global South. This re-conceptualization opens new options for peacebuilding and for state for...

121 citations


Cites background from "The moral imagination : the art and..."

  • ...Other, non-violent community-based groups also emerge, often around the provision of local peace and security: market associations, local trade groups such as taxi associations, youth groups or local forms of neighbourhood watch.(18) Under such conditions, there are often combinations of forces from the customary sphere – chiefs, traditional kings, religious authorities – and from the sphere of the above-mentioned new formations – like warlords and militias, ethnic or millenarian movements or organized crime rackets....

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Book
24 Apr 2008
TL;DR: Cortright as mentioned in this paper traces the rise of peace advocacy and internationalism from their origins in earlier centuries through the mass movements of recent decades: the pacifist campaigns of the 1930s, the Vietnam antiwar movement, and the waves of disarmament activism that peaked in the 1980s.
Abstract: Veteran scholar and peace activist David Cortright offers a definitive history of the human striving for peace and an analysis of its religious and intellectual roots. This authoritative, balanced, and highly readable volume traces the rise of peace advocacy and internationalism from their origins in earlier centuries through the mass movements of recent decades: the pacifist campaigns of the 1930s, the Vietnam antiwar movement, and the waves of disarmament activism that peaked in the 1980s. Also explored are the underlying principles of peace - nonviolence, democracy, social justice, and human rights - all placed within a framework of 'realistic pacifism'. Peace brings the story up-to-date by examining opposition to the Iraq War and responses to the so-called 'war on terror'. This is history with a modern twist, set in the context of current debates about 'the responsibility to protect', nuclear proliferation, Darfur, and conflict transformation.

120 citations

Luise Druke1
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors found that significant progress has been made overall in developing a refugee policy in Eurasia (which was defined in this study as the countries comprising the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine/Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan; and the Central European countries of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Slovak Republic and Slovenia).
Abstract: This research found that significant progress has been made overall in developing a refugee policy in Eurasia (which was defined in this study as the countries comprising the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine/Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan; and the Central European countries of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Slovak Republic and Slovenia). In Central Europe, the EU integration process was found to be the main engine for the refugee policy development (a condition for EU membership), though the situation with regard to its implementation was less impressive. However, as these countries are all EU Member States, (following Bulgaria and Romania’s entry in January 2007), they are evolving into the common European asylum space, which is meant, among others, to uphold at least minimum standards of refugee protection. The research also highlighted how institutions and implementation matter. For example, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg could play an increasing role in upholding basic protection standards upon referrals to it from national courts in EU Member States under Article 234 of the Treaty of Rome 1957, as amended by the Amsterdam and subsequent texts, in order to provide judicial protection and to clarify the scope and meaning of European law in numerous areas, including asylum. Prospects for functioning refugee policies are bleaker in the CIS countries, which are not part of the EU harmonization process. Despite some notable successes as well as greatly varying results achieved through the CIS Conference, most CIS countries have not yet bridged critical gaps in regards to legislative and administrative frameworks, humanitarian status, documentation and integration of refugees, or raised public awareness to reduce xenophobia, discrimination, and intolerance. However, the seven Eastern European countries of the CIS (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine) are at least members of the European Human Rights Convention, which, if applied adequately, supports refugees’ need for protection. In Central Asia, European judicial protection is not applicable. Despite the ratification of the international refugee standards in four of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan), the post September 11 climate tends to take precedence over refugees’ need for protection. Nevertheless, these countries, with the notable exception of Uzbekistan, at least made initially encouraging efforts in developing and implementing refugee policies and discussed these issues in international fora. These papers provide a means for UNHCR staff, consultants, interns and associates, as well as external researchers, to publish the preliminary results of their research on refugee-related issues. The papers do not represent the official views of UNHCR. They are also available online under ‘publications’ at

108 citations