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“Dealing with the Legacy of Conflict in Northern Ireland through Engagement & Dialogue”

19 submissions on peace and conflict studies from around the world

25/6/2020: The history of nonviolent protest, the role of gender in violent conflict, and human rights theory are among the topics that will be explored in the Glencree joint Academic Journal in collaboration with the Irish Centre for Human Rights (ICHR) at NUI Galway. Dedicated to the theme of peace and conflict studies, the Journal will also examine the concepts and enablers that promote the development of transferrable ‘soft skills’ such as critical thinking, self-awareness, and communication. These are key components of the Glencree Peace IV “Addressing the Legacy of Violence through Facilitated Dialogue” project.

Nineteen submissions from around the world have now been accepted for the Journal providing a diversity of offerings from academics and practitioners in the fields of peace studies and conflict resolution. Dr.Kevin De Ornellas who lectures on British and Irish literature and drama at Ulster University, with his co-author PhD Candidate Dónall MacCathmhaoill, explore the dynamic and evolving zeitgeist from the arts world and its relationship with community action. As an interesting compliment to this, Writer Sam Guthrie explores the public discourse of memory and commemoration from the approach of post-conflict Belfast poetry. In her essay, “Photography, Empathy and the Young; Shaping the Irish and Northern Irish ‘States”,  photographerAilbhe Greaney turns her metaphorical ‘lens’ on how photography is used to develop empathy with the youth within Northern Irish society and how it has shaped Ireland north and south of the Border. On a related theme, Researcher and Author Dr. Cathy Bollaert, in “Remembering the Past: Shaping the Future”,seeks to establish a common good framework for promoting reconciliation within the youth sector in Northern Ireland.

Megan Kelly a PhD student at The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security & Justice at Queens University Belfast, examines the critical issue of “How the experience of Victims and Survivors Groups can inform international audiences and other post- conflict environments in developing transitional justice models.”  This exploration lies the core of the Glencree Legacy of Violence Project.

Activist, peacebuilder & academic, Dr. Wilhelm Verwoerd, a long-time collaborator and facilitator with Glencree, brings his diverse and vast range of experience of peace and conflict studies in an examination of “On building and cultivating peace: practitioner reflections on the Sustainable Peace Network project”.

These are just a few examples of the range of topics from contributors. Both individually and collectively, they will bring a keen focus to many of the issues that are intrinsic to the Peace IV Project. They will also help to inform practitioners in a wide variety of fields of future pathways to sustaining a just and equitable society in a post-conflict situation.

The essays will now be subject to peer review by the Editorial team including Prof. Ray Murphy, ICHR; Prof. Patricia Lundy, Dr. Niall Gilmartin & Dr. Philip McDermott of Ulster University Jordanstown; and Dr. Rory Finegan, Assistant Programme Manager, Glencree’s Legacy of Violence, Peace IV Project.

The Academic Journal will be launched on 24 March 2021 in an online event that will explore the political, social, and cultural developments in contemporary Northern Ireland post the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement of 1998.

The ‘Addressing the Legacy of Violence through Facilitated Dialogue’ project is supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The PEACE IV Programme for 2014-2020 is funded by the European Union, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government. It has been designed to promote peace and reconciliation across Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland.

More information about the Glencree PEACE IV ‘Addressing the Legacy of Violence through Facilitated Dialogue’ Project can be viewed here https://www.glencree.ie/programmes/peace-iv-addressing-the-legacy-of-violence-through-facilitated-dialogue/

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