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The Conflict Tipping Podcast
By Laura May, PhDSociety & Culture
The Conflict Tipping Podcast episodes
- When political parties polarise, with Dr Morgan Le Corre Juratic [Ep. 23]
Welcome to the Conflict Tipping podcast from Mediate.com, where we explore social conflict and what to do about it. In this episode, we explore the effects of party polarization on electoral participation with Dr. Morgan Le Corre Juratic, a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. She recently completed her PhD at the European University Institute, focusing on party competition, political behavior, and support for democracy. Get ready to uncover the fascinating insights from her doctoral research and gain a deeper understanding of the impact of polarization on democratic processes.
We discuss:
- Party polarization: Examining the rise of extreme parties and its impact on party competition.
- Motivating turnout: How polarization can influence people's motivation to participate in elections.
- Clarifying political alternatives: Understanding how polarization makes party positions more distinct and aids voter decision-making.
- Emotions and indifference: Exploring the emotional responses triggered by party polarization, including fear, anxiety, and indifference towards all parties.
- Implications for democracy: Discussing the potential consequences of increased indifference and declining trust in the political system.
Join us on the Conflict Tipping podcast as we delve into these intriguing topics with Dr. Juratic and uncover the intricate relationship between party polarization, emotions, and electoral participation.
Where to learn more:
- Morgan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/morganlcj
- Her website: https://www.morganlecorrejuratic.com/
35 min - Empathy across political divides with Luiza Almeida Santos [Ep. 22]
In this episode, learn about Stanford PhD candidate Luiza Almeida Santos' research into fostering empathy across political divides. Listen if you are interested in learning more about:
- What empathy is (and is not)
- How empathy helps us - and 'them'
- Building common ground
- Carrying out conversations across divides
About Luiza:
Luiza is a psychology Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University, studying how political conflicts develop, and how to minimize their most corrosive aspects. Originally from Brazil, Luiza examines how political beliefs become moral convictions, how to reduce empathic failures across group divides, how to foster more productive cross-partisan conversations, and how to improve support for democratic principles.
Luiza's website is luiza-santos.com, and her Twitter handle is @luiza_a_santos. You may be interested in reading her already-published paper:
Santos, L., Voelkel, J. Willer, R., & Zaki, J. (2022) Belief in the Utility of Cross-Partisan Empathy Reduces Partisan Animosity and Facilitates Persuasion. Psychological Science (view)
Her supervisor Dr Jamil Zaki's book, referenced in the episode, is "The War for Kindness".
About the host:
Laura is a facilitator, people and culture director, and former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute. Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science. Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!32 min - The Rise of the Masses with Dr Benjamin Abrams [Ep. 21]
In this episode, meet Dr Benjamin Abrams, who has just released his brand-new book about mass mobilisations called "The Rise of the Masses". Listen if you are interested in:
- Why mass mobilisations such as protests happen
- The Black Lives Uprising, Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, or even the French Revolution
- The emotions of protest
- How physical space can support mass mobilisations
- Ben's admiration for guillotines
Buy the book at theRiseoftheMasses.com.
About Dr Abrams:
Benjamin Abrams is Lecturer in Sociology and Leverhulme Fellow at University College London. Alongside the study of mobilization, Benjamin also works on revolutions, resistance and contentious politics broadly considered. His approach to these topics focuses on exploratory macro-causal comparisons and case studies, designed to generate new, durable theoretical insights. Much of his work fuses these macro-level techniques with in-depth investigative within-case methods, with a specialism in the analysis of ethnographic interviews and archival sources.
In addition to authoring The Rise of the Masses, Benjamin's second book is called Symbolic Objects in Contentious Politics. Written in collaboration with Peter R. Gardner and bringing together an international and interdisciplinary community of scholars, the book was published open access by the University of Michigan Press in 2023.
Benjamin is also Chief Editor (with Giovanni A. Travaglino) of Contention: The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Protest.
More information about Benjamin's scholarly work can be found on his faculty page at UCL. He tweets at @bdmabrams.About the host:
Laura is a facilitator, people and culture director, and former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute. Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science. Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!51 min - Transforming cultures in and outside the workplace with David Liddle MBA [Ep. 20]
In this episode, Laura speaks with David Liddle, founder and CEO of the TCM Group, about his career as a dedicated mediator and 'people first' professional. Listen if you are interested in:
- His early career mediating in estates in the UK
- Transformational culture and restorative justice in the workplace
- A role for mediators in broader social conflicts
- Redefining HR in modern organisations
About David:
David has developed significant expertise and authority in the areas of people and culture, conflict resolution, leadership and organisational development. He is author of two highly acclaimed books, ‘MANAGING CONFLICT’ and ‘TRANSFORMATIONAL CULTURE’.David has spent the last 30 years reframing HR systems, management processes, and leadership behaviours. He puts purpose, people and values at the heart of his customers organisations. With a passion for collaboration, inclusion and empowerment, he brings people together to deliver high impact transformational change.In 2001, having been awarded an MBA with Distinction, David established The TCM Group (Train. Consult. Mediate). His vision for TCM was, and still is, to integrate fair, just, inclusive, sustainable and high performance cultures by creating the conditions for leaders, managers and employees to have quality conversations.David is a Fellow of the RSA and he is the founder of the Institute of Organizational Dynamics (www.organisationaldynamics.org). David is a well respected speaker and he has written numerous articles and contributed to a number of texts.Contact David at [email protected] or via www.thetcmgroup.com. His LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/liddledavid/.About the host:Laura is a facilitator, people and culture director, and former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute. Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science. Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!47 min - Reincorporating combatants in Colombia with Dr. Solveig Richter and Laura Camila Barrios Sabogal [Ep. 19]
In this episode, Host, Laura May, talks with guests, Dr. Solveig Richter and Laura Camila Barrios Sabogal about Colombia as a case study for how conflict behaves and how conflict transforms itself. Topics discussed include:
- The role of language in the Peace Accords
- Security concerns
- Listening to local partners
- Psychological support
- Involving communities in the research and the final products
Connect with the Guests:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-barrios-sabogal-6a9440b6
https://mobile.twitter.com/LauraC_Barrios
https://www.linkedin.com/in/solveig-richter-b451b1193
https://mobile.twitter.com/SolveigRichter
About the Guests:
Laura Camila Barrios Sabogal's bio:
Doctoral Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) and Goethe Universität Frankfurt. Former Director of the Master’s Program in Conflict, Memory and Peace at Universidad del Rosario and former member of the Center for Conflict and Peace Studies of the same University. Master of Public Policy with a specialization in Conflict Studies and Management, Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, University of Erfurt, Germany. Bachelor Professional in government and international relations, Universidad Externado de Colombia. Her research interests cover gender, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), democratization and peacebuilding in post-conflict countries.
Solveig Richter's bio: https://www.uni-erfurt.de/en/brandtschool/the-school/people/visiting-lecturers/prof-dr-solveig-richterSolveig Richter's bio and institutional profile:https://www.uni-leipzig.de/en/profile/mitarbeiter/prof-dr-solveig-richterAbout host, Laura May, PhD:
Laura is a former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute and a negotiation and mediation lecturer. Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science. Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!
58 min - Cancer, conflict, and digital technologies in peace mediation with Dr. Miguel Varela Rodriguez [Ep. 18]In this episode, Laura speaks with Dr. Miguel Varela Rodriguez, an academic at the University of Valladolid in Spain, and peace mediation expert. Listen if you're interested in:
- How cancer and conflict are portrayed on social media
- Use of images in peace mediation
- The role of technology and AI in peace mediation
About Miguel:Miguel is a PhD sociologist and photographer. His work looks at social conflict, public health and collective photographic practices, focusing on social media. He teaches negotiation and mediation at the University of Valladolid in Spain, has a long history of peace work with organisations such as MediatEUr and Conciliation Resources, and consults for NGOs and development agencies.Links:- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguel-varela/
- Website: https://www.miguelvarela.me/
About Laura:
Laura is a former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute and a negotiation and mediation lecturer. Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science. Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!
42 min - Making lives more complex (and democratic) with Dr. Shannon Wheatley Hartman [Ep. 17]In this episode, Laura speaks with Dr. Shannon Wheatley Hartman of the Interactivity Foundation. Listen if you are interested in learning more about:
- A collaborative approach to academia and the classroom
- Dealing with group think
- When NOT to collaborate
- Embracing cultural humility
- Community conversations and democracy as an aspirational idea
- Avoiding both-sides-ism
- Bringing together communities and building inclusive events
About Shannon:
Shannon is vice president of the Interactivity Foundation in the US, an organisation that engages citizens in the exploration and development of possibilities for public policy. Prior to working at IF, she was full-time lecturer of international relations at Arizona State University, and her academic interests include nonviolent resistance, postcolonialism, participatory action research, and deliberative democracy.Links:https://www.interactivityfoundation.org/people/shannon-wheatley-hartman/https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-wheatley-hartman-420ba41bhttps://www.collaborativediscussionproject.com/About Laura:Laura is a former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute and a negotiation and mediation lecturer. Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science. Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!56 min - Accents, inclusion, and migration with Dr. Zdena Mtetwa-Middernacht [Ep. 16]In this episode, Laura speaks with Dr. Zdena Mtetwa-Middernacht, whose doctoral research focused on whiteness in migration. Listen if you are interested in:
- Why you might need to learn to fake an Australian accent
- Colonisation and legacies of privileged whiteness in Zimbabwe
- What intersectionality means and how it affects our lives
- Transnationalism and living in two places at once
- Wearing different identity hats, and living different lives
About Zdena:Zdena Middernacht began reading for a PhD in International Relations in 2013. Prior to this she earned a Masters in International Relations from the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan (2012),a BA Honours in Organisational Psychology from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in South Africa (2008) and a BA Psychology degree (2007) also from the NMMU.She has worked for civil society organisations in South Africa and in Belgium, including Khulumani (South Africa), The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples’ Organization (Belgium) and Save the Children (Belgium). She is currently working as a Senior Research Consultant for ODS in Brussels, and as Non-Executive Director for Seefar Enterprise, whose mission is working with vulnerable people to build a better future.She has also served as a member of the executive committee of the South African Youth for International Diplomacy.Links to learn more:Zdena's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zdena-mtetwa-middernacht-ph-d-111bb59- Her Twitter: https://twitter.com/zdenamtetwa/
About Laura:Laura is a former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute and a negotiation and mediation lecturer. Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science. Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!37 min - Gender, conflict, and saving pandas with Brianna Hernandez [Ep. 15]In this episode, Laura speaks with PhD candidate Brianna Hernandez, whose work focuses on gender, conflict, and environmentalism. She is currently at Florida International University, committee member for the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and a WWF panda ambassador.Listen if you want to hear about:
- The problem of binaries and black-and-white thinking
- Why we can't 'just add women and stir' in peacebuilding processes
- 'Not all men', gender-based violence, and victim/perpetrator roles
- The cross-over between gender inclusion and environmentalism
- The problem of empowerment
- When we should (and shouldn't!) listen to experts
Links to learn more:- Personal website: https://briannanhernandez.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brihz1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_brihernandez1
41 min - Integrating collective trauma with Adrian Wagner [Ep. 14]In this episode, Laura speaks with PhD candidate Adrian Wagner, whose research focuses on the integration of collective or community trauma. He is undertaking his PhD at the Universität Witten/Herdecke, is a research fellow at the European School of Governance, and works as a coach and facilitator for transformational leadership.This episode is for you if you want to hear about:
- The long footprint of collective traumas (e.g. wars, covid)
- How we use narratives to make sense of the world (and when that goes wrong)
- Grieving and processing shared traumas
- Links between trauma histories in Germany and reactions to the invasion of Ukraine
- The need to gain emotional insight to tackle the world's big problems
Links to learn more:- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-wagner-blackforrestconsulting/
- Pocket Project on Collective Trauma Integration: https://pocketproject.org/about/what-is-collective-trauma-integration/
- Research report: https://pocketproject.org/collective-trauma-democracy/
- Publication: https://publications.iass-potsdam.de/pubman/faces/ViewItemOverviewPage.jsp?itemId=item_6002593_3
- About the report (in German): https://www.mehr-demokratie.de/projekte/deepening-democracy/forschungsbericht?sword_list%5B0%5D=Trauma&sword_list%5B1%5D=and&sword_list%5B2%5D=democracy&no_cache=1
42 min
About The Conflict Tipping Podcast
From the publisher's feed
The Conflict Tipping Podcast, hosted by Laura May PhD, focuses on innovative strategies for responding to social conflict. Episodes will bring in guests with expertise in all facets of conflict, from…
organizational behavior, emotions, technology, media, public and private social responsibility, and political polarization. Subscribe if you’re interested in conflict resolution, facilitation, peacebuilding, or the future of civil society -- we’d love to have you as part of our community!