Beyond Intractability: A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict
Introduction:
Elise Boulding talks about the need for third parties to approach a situation as an "apprentice" rather than an expert.
This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).
How to Approach a Peacemaking Situation
Elise Boulding
Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Dartmouth College and Former Secretary
General of the International Peace Research Association
One thing that I feel very strongly about, especially since I see it being
violated so often, is that for people who are taking on a role of a peacemaker or a
mediator or a conflict resolver, they need to be
an apprentice to any situation they go into. They really have to know where
people are coming from, what is going on, what are the priorities, and so on, in order to
apply what they know. But you see, it happens too often that the people who are trained in all of this set themselves up
as outsider experts, and go in and say, "Here is what you need to do."
Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of
today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the
American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and
live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal.' -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Featured Links Organizations Making Noteworthy Contributions to Efforts to Promote More Constructive Conflict Centre for Conflict Resolution
Other Resources from Beyond Intractability The Dynamics of Nonviolent Action The Dynamics of Nonviolent Action will be of interest to those who seek a better understanding of the mechanism and operation of nonviolent resistance.
Nobel Peace Prize Winners
Yitzhak Rabin Former Prime Minister of Israel, and 1994 Nobel Peace Laureate
The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co-Directors and Editors c/o Conflict Information Consortium(Formerly Conflict Research Consortium), University of Colorado Campus Box 580, Boulder, CO 80309 Phone: (303) 492-1635; Fax: (303) 492-2154; Contact