Fall 2020 Peace Week

9:00 am – 11:00 am
Facilitator: Dr. Karina Korostelina
This session concentrates on reconciliation in divided societies and between nations accruing on an interpersonal, intergroup, and international levels and discusses complex, theory-based, indigenous, and faith-based approaches that address justice, reparations, mercy, apology, forgiveness, and shared identity. The presenters will analyze various social conditions for the imagination and achievement of reconciliation, advancing theory and bridging it with practice.

11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Facilitator: Dr. Karina Korostelina
This session aims to analyze the controversial role and functions of collective memory in the dynamics of identity-based conflict and reconciliation. The presenters analyze collective memory as powerful instrument of the representation of the past, validation of power, restoration of justice, and valorization of identity meaning. There is a growing body of evidences that collective memory can ignite and reinforce violence, promote exclusion or inclusion, or contribute to reconciliation. Collective memory is linked to increasing awareness of the past atrocities, provide moral lessons, and encourage democratic development.  However, the limitations and impediments that are imposed by the continuous tensions and unfinished processes of reconciliation reduce the role of collective memory in conflict resolution processes.

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Facilitators: Leslie Durham and Brandon Quiles (OIPS)
A facilitated book discussion of the book Wolfpack by Abby Wambach. The discussion will dive into some of the Gold Medalist’s anecdotes and ideas on using sports for conflict resolution. All Mason students are welcome to join us.

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Facilitator: Dr. Charles Chavis in collaboration with Busboys and Poets
Join the John Mitchell, Jr. Program for History Justice and Race, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and Busboys and Poets on Monday, September 21st, 2020 – the International Day of Peace – for the launch of “For the Sake of Peace: Africana Perspectives on Racism, Justice, and Peace in America.” The event will feature remarks from the book’s contributors, including Carter School PhD students and candidates.

7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Facilitator: Dr. Mary Jo Larson
This year's Ambassador John W. McDonald Award honoree is peace activist Mr. Al Jubitz, a proud “can do" Rotarian with a strategic systems approach to peace building, social justice, and environmental stewardship. This annual award honors the legacy of Ambassador McDonald (1922-2019), who served on our Advisory Board and was instrumental in launching the UNEP, multi-track diplomacy and the UN resolution for the International Day for Peace, now observed around the world each year on September 21. The Dean and Advisory Board welcome faculty, students, staff, and alumni for this exciting celebration.

10:00 am – 11:30 am
Facilitator: Dr. Dan Rothbart
This roundtable brings together experts on civilian peacemakers who have come to the forefront of attention recently as a primary force for positive change.  Panelists examine the wisdom, skills and talents that such peacemakers offer, based on their individual experiences and immersion in their local community.  In presenting their finding, panelists offer a wide range of case studies.

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Facilitator: Dr. Alpaslan Özerdem
The roundtable will outline a basic vision for how Carter School Peace Engineering Lab seeks to influence the field’s approach to using technology, data, and engineering approaches for peace.  You will meet the founding members, who will share their understanding of the field, relevant projects, and convening questions or goals driving the Peace Engineering Lab. The final hour will be a facilitated discussion about your interests for the lab and what you would like to see as the Lab launches.

7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Facilitator: Dr. Patricia Maulden
Peace demands attention to individual, social, and community needs regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or economic status. It cannot be realized when police as militarized representatives of the state exert extreme violence repressively, mercilessly, and with impunity. Police reform processes are essential to address the unnecessary violent police practices as well as the impunity with which they are carried out.

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Join Dean Özerdem and fellow Carter School alumni for a happy hour toasting the new academic year! Learn about our plans for the future and ways to build meaningful engagement with our alumni community. Feel free to submit feedback and questions in advance at tcsalum@gmu.edu!

11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Facilitator: Dr. Solon Simmons
This seminar will introduce the power of narrative in the study of peace and the practice of conflict resolution. After introducing the concept of narrative and explaining why it is so powerful and important for the current state of the field, we will explore the difference between the basic structures of political narratives (root narratives) and the actual historical stories (master narratives) that parties use to make sense of conflict and to give reasons for what they do.

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Facilitator: Audrey Williams
Join Audrey Williams (Carter School Storyteller, MS ’20) for a workshop on how to tell compelling stories that also aim to do good in the world. The workshop will focus on tools and resources that can help students build careers at the intersection of conflict resolution and narrative.

9:00 am – 11:00 am
Facilitator: Dr. Thomas Flores
The field of conflict resolution has sent Americans around the world to help other societies seek peace.  Yet scholars of race have painstakingly documented structural violence that deeply imbues American society.  What would a peaceful United States of America look like?

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Facilitator: Dr. Kristina Hook
While recognizing that many factors—such as implementation challenges and politicization—can impact peacebuilding successes, other debates question the best research approaches to warfare’s complex problems.  In this panel, we present an overview of diverse scholarly approaches to three interlinked aspects of the peacebuilding puzzle, focusing on what each research approach can contribute for policymakers and practitioners in achieving accountable results.

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Facilitator: Dr. Sheherazade Jafari
Jimmy Carter once said: “Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.”  This panel discussion considers the role of the natural environment as a resource for peacebuilding, reconciliation, and well-being—as well as asks questions on equity and justice, including on who has access, and the impacts of climate change on particular communities. It features the work and research of George Mason University faculty, students, and of community practitioners, including at the Carter School’s Point of View International Retreat and Research Center and in the creation of a new program on environmental conflict.