Compare and Contrast a Just Vision Visionary and a Local Peacebuilder

This paper assignment was written by Professor Ahsiya Posner for Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies at Bryn Mawr College.

Description

This project provides students an opportunity to engage with Israeli, Palestinian and local activists who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to the pursuit of peace, justice, social change, and advocacy.  Students will compare and contrast the work of two peace activists and the challenges they face.  One peacebuilder will be an Israeli or Palestinian chosen from the Just Vision website's Visionaries section, and a second will be a person of students' choice (someone from their own personal lives whom they consider to be a peacebuilder in their home communities).  Analyses of these two individuals’ work may be substantiated by concepts covered in course readings and discussion.

Paper Assignment

Select and read an interview from Just Vision's Visionaries section, conduct an interview with a local peacebuilder, and write a paper that addresses the following questions:  How does the work of your two chosen peace activists provide further insight, support, or refutation to course concepts of peace, conflict, security, justice, and peacebuilding work in general?  What are the similar or different obstacles and challenges that each faces based on the varied contexts within which they work, as well as their varied missions/goals?

Procedure

Visit Just Vision’s website at http://www.justvision.org/visionaries and choose a Visionary whose work is of particular interest.  Students may use the search terms to locate peacebuilders engaging in the type of work that mosts interests them.  Students should closely examine their chosen interview and may use the interview question format as a guide for their own interviews with local peacebuilders.  Where appropriate, students may ask their interviewees identical questions for the sake of comparison.

Tips for Interviewing Local Peacebuilders:

• Extensively research your interviewee's life and work
• Prepare your questions beforehand, based on your knowledge of their work
• Plan for and request to spend 1 -2 hours talking with your chosen local peacebuilder 
  • Explore values, motivations, and worldview
  • How does he/she define peace, conflict, security, and justice?
  • Does he/she believe that there is such a thing as “just war” or justified violence? 
  • How does he/she believe that peace studies (research/academia) and peacebuilding work (practice) can best serve the pursuit of peace?