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Introduction: Intervenors should not be neutral when it comes to identity issues, says Helen Chauncey, of the Coexistence Initiative. They should be bi-partisan.


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Bi-Partisanship in Identity Issues
Helen Chauncey
The Coexistence Initiative
Interviewed by
Julian Portilla
2003

We really are talking about understanding identity in a new way. In the sense that we are arguing strongly that identity is part of the human condition. You cannot park it at the door. So the word "neutral," if it refers to identity as neutral, is problematic. We are not arguing for being partisan, as in "I like identity A better than identity B." Let's say we only have two identities at issue in a conflict. We are talking about being bi-partisan, as in both identities need to be more than just recognized. We need to encourage side A and side B to want the identity of the opposite side to be part of the equation for conflict resolution.

 
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist. -- Indira Gandhi

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