Talking Peace, Exploring Conflict

Part 2

After Father Michael Lapsley was exiled by the South African Government in 1976, he joined the African National Congress (ANC) and became one of their chaplains. Whilst living in Zimbabwe he discovered he was on the South African Government hit list.  In April 1990 he received a letter bomb in the post.

In 1992, he returned to South Africa to "find a nation of survivors, but a damaged nation. Everyone had a story – a truth – to tell. In my work I’ve developed a programme called the Healing of Memories. Our workshops explore the effects of South Africa’s past at an emotional, psychological and spiritual level. I try to support those who have suffered as they struggle to have their stories recognised."

Professor Simon Keyes from the University of Winchester's Centre of Religion, Reconciliation and Peace, speaks with Fr Lapsley about the healing of memories. 

Dr Mark Owen of the Centre of Religion Reconciliation and Peace (University of Winchester) hosts a panel discussion with Dr Ulrike Ziemer (University of Winchester), Dr Sossie Kasbarian (University of Stirling) and Dr Kevork Oskanian (University of Birmingham), to discuss the current conflict in the region of Negorno-Karabakh. Recorded on the 4th of November 2020. [UPDATE: Since making this podcast, on Tuesday 10th of November 2020 a cease-fire deal (trilateral agreement between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia) reached overnight after six weeks of heavy fighting]. Further information. We wait to see if and for how long this ceasefire will hold.

Dr Ulrike Ziemer is Senior Lecturer in Sociology in the Department for Applied Social Sciences, Forensics and Politics at the University of Winchester. Her research interests include youth, women, gender and diasporas in Russia, the Southern Caucasus and Eastern Europe.

Dr Sossie Kasbarian is Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the University of Stirling. Dr. Kasbarian’s research interests and publications broadly span diaspora studies; contemporary Middle East politics and society; nationalism and ethnicity; transnational political activism; refugee and migration studies. She is co-editor of the journal Diaspora- A Journal of Transnational Studies

Dr Kevork Oskanian is a Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham. His current research interests include Eurasian politics and security, postcolonial and civilisational perspectives on Russian narratives of “exceptionalism,” as well as post-liberal approaches to state and International Society in Eurasia and beyond.

Dr Mark Owen (University of Winchester) in conversation with Owen Frazer, discussing Frazer's recent article-

The Instrumentalization of Religion in Conflict is an article published by Owen Frazer in June 2020:

https://www.research-collection.ethz.ch/handle/20.500.11850/418371 

Owen Frazer is a Senior Programme Officer in the Mediation Support Team of the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and undertakes his doctoral studies on a part-time basis. His work at CSS focuses on mediation in violent political conflict, with an emphasis on conflicts with religious dimensions. His responsibilities include providing trainings to practitioners and policy-makers, developing practice and policy guidance, and directly supporting mediation and conflict transformation processes. Prior to joining the CSS, Owen worked for Oxfam in the UK, WaterAid in Ethiopia, and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Pakistan, Russia, and at headquarters.

Practitioner Series

Professor Anna King and Mukti Suvedi in conversation about rebuilding post-conflict Nepal and some of the impacts Mukti Suvedi has witnessed on Nepalis during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mukti Suvedi is Country Director of World Renew Nepal. He is an experienced peacebuilder, teacher and mentor, leading peace and development projects and programs in South Asia, Canada, and Haiti. 

Thought Leader Series

The Theories of David Bohm in Practice - Prof Simon Keyes in conversation with Prof Mohammed Abu-Nimer

The University of Winchester’s Centre of Religion, Reconciliation and Peace (CRRP) was established in 2010 and is dedicated to helping make a tangible difference to those affected by structural violence and armed conflict, our work is particularly focussed on examining the crucial links between theory and practice in religious peacebuilding and reconciliation processes, and how each informs, challenges and enhances the other.

We strongly believe in the power of collaboration, and the importance of cultural and contextual forms of peacebuilding, and we work with academic partners; secular, religious and faith-based organisations; and government and multi-national institutions worldwide. We offer training and consultancy in many areas of peacebuilding and reconciliation, and highly commended post-graduate courses.

Read more about the Centre of Religion, Reconciliation and Peace here https://winchester.ac.uk/crrp

Professor Mohammed Abu-Nimer

Professor Abu-Nimer has worked for over three decades in a number of areas, including: dialogue and peacebuilding in the Middle East region; the application of conflict resolution models in Muslim communities; inter-religious conflict resolution training; interfaith dialogue; civic education; and evaluation of conflict resolution programs. In the past decade, Prof. Abu-Nimer has conducted numerous peace education and interfaith dialogue programs with religious leaders.

He is the founder of Salam Institute for Peace and Justice and co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development. He holds a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University. He is Professor of International Peace and Conflict Resolution, School of International Service, American University and Senior Advisor at KAICIID, International Center for Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue.