Although the government of the United States of America was established to protect the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness among all American citizens, this thesis argues intractable gang violence in inner-city Chicago has persistently denied these rights, in turn undermining fundamental (and foundational) American political values. Thus, gang violence can be argued to represent a threat to both civil order and state legitimacy. Yet, where comparable (and generally lower) levels of community-level violence in Northern Ireland garnered the sustained attention and direct involvement of the United Kingdom's central government, the challenge posed by gang violence has been unappreciated, if not ignored, by the American federal government. In order to mobilise the political commitment and resources needed to find a durable resolution to Chicago's long and often anarchic 'uncivil war', it is first necessary to politicise the problem and its origins. Contributing to this politicisation, this thesis explains why gang violence in Chicago has been unable to capture the political imagination of the American government in a way akin to paramilitary (specifically republican) violence in Northern Ireland. Secondly, it explains how the depoliticisation of gang violence has negatively affected response, encouraging the continued application of inadequate and largely ineffective response strategies. Finally, it makes the case that, while radical, a conditional agreement-centric peace process loosely modelled on that employed in Northern Ireland might offer the most effective strategy for restoring the sense of peace and security to inner-city Chicago lost over half a century ago.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / It is an unfortunate and cruel reality that both government and armed groups used child soldiers during armed conflict. Child soldiers have become an integral part of government forces as well as insurgent groups in Africa and elsewhere. Most of them are being exploited as combatants, while others perform functions, such as porters, spies who are able to enter small spaces, cooks, messengers, lookouts, and even suicide bombers. Some of the most disturbing aspects of child soldiering are that some of them are being forced to kill or are themselves killed, sexually abused and are exposed to drugs. The use of child soldiers in conflicts is not a recent phenomenon and has indeed become a common practice that characterises modern conflicts. Recruitment is usually carried out forcefully or voluntarily by both government and rebel forces. The difference between these two types of recruitment is not always clear since their decision to join is always influenced by external factors. Examples of such reasons for voluntary recruitment include the desire to revenge, adventure, peer pressure, and need for belonging and survival. Concerning the reason for survival, some argue that, the children do not actually choose freely to become combatants, but are rather forced by circumstances. There are numerous reasons for the continuous targeting of children by armed forces and armed groups. These include shortage of combatants, the fact that children are easy to train physically and psychologically, and also that children are obedient and are readily available. The recruited children are compelled to take part in brutal induction ceremonies, where they are threatened and forced to kill or witness the killing of someone they know. / South Africa

The research consists of an exploratory mixed-method research (Cresswell & Plano Clark, 2011) using a constructive Grounded Theory methodology (Charmaz, 2014, 2006). The object of study is experiences and transformations related to the practice of compassionate listening, as well as the process and type of spirituality at the heart of this approach for conflict transformation developed by The Compassionate Listening Project (TCLP) based in the United States. People get to sit with Israeli or Palestinian guest speakers and they listen to them share their story and experience with the conflict, wherever they can locate themselves in the political Spectrum. Trained with the compassionate listening approach, it becomes possible for them to affirm their deepest humanity and learn to hold the complexities related to the conflict (Cohen, 2011). 14 semi-structured interviews with delegates from the 2010 TCLP delegation, participant observation and document analysis, took place in the qualitative stage of the research. Followed by the administration of an online questionnaire to past participants of TCLP delegations between 1998 and 2015 (n=60). The study led to the emergence of a theoretical and practical Model named: Well-being Ecosystem for Inner and Outer peace, based on a social process theory (Glaser, 2005) informing on conditions and factors involved in the passage between three stages: from a feeling or state of separation with the other, to more communication and towards deep connection and communion. The integration chapter of the mixed methods presents four key pillars supporting this Model to help integrate an agenda of the heart to peace efforts, in the form of specific types of “responses of the heart” (affiliated to the notion of compassionate love, Fehr et al., 2009) inspired by the compassionate listening approach and series of variables, factors, and conditions to help cultivate a culture of peace in any environment. The quality of presence and environment at the relational level is exposed in the nexus of the notions of spirituality and practice for peacebuilding and conflict transformation. The research combines scientific and experiential knowledge in Social Sciences, Applied Religious Studies, Health and Contemplative Studies. / Cette recherche en sciences des religions appliquées porte sur l’approche de l’écoute compassionnelle (Cohen, 2011) développée par l’organisme The Compassionate Listening Project (TCLP) et pratiquée en contexte de réconciliation entre Juifs et Palestiniens d’Israël, de la bande de Gaza et de la Cisjordanie. Selon Marie Pace (2005), qui a fait une étude de cas empirique sur cette approche de construction de la paix, plusieurs participants ont témoigné à leur retour que cette expérience avait été transformationnelle et avait changé leur vie. Certains parlaient même de guérison (healing) (Pace, 2005). Quel processus est au coeur de cette approche, dont le rôle de la compassion est central ? Comment se vit l’expérience de procurer et de recevoir de l’écoute compassionnelle ? Quel impact de transformation, voire de guérison (healing) est à l’oeuvre ? Tel que le clament les auteures de cette méthode, s'il s'avérait qu’elle soit le moteur d'un dialogue plus profond et d'une réconciliation véritable, est-ce qu’il y a un apport particulier d’une forme de spiritualité ? Si oui, quelle est-elle ? Pour répondre à ces questions, une méthode mixte en recherche de type exploratoire fut empruntée, débutant par une phase qualitative suivie d’une phase quantitative de recherche (Cresswell & Plano Clark, 2011). Une observation participante au sein d’une délégation en Israël-Palestine en 2010 et quatorze entrevues individuelles auprès des délégués furent effectuées ainsi qu’une analyse documentaire sur les écrits liés à cette approche. La phase quantitative a inclus l’administration d’un questionnaire auprès de plusieurs anciens participants aux délégations organisées par TCLP de 1998 à 2015 (n=60). Ce qui a permis de vérifier des éléments de réponse sur l’objet d’étude fourni par les entrevues, en plus des composantes d’une théorie émergente. L’étude adopte la méthodologie de la théorie enracinée (Grounded Theory) et présente une théorie de processus social de base (Glaser, 2005) sur les conditions et facteurs favorisant le passage entre un état ou sentiment de séparation avec l’autre, vers une meilleure communication et une connexion profonde et communion. Ces stages s’inscrivent au sein d’un modèle théorique et appliqué nommé : Écosystème relationnel du mieux-être pour lune paix intérieure et extérieure, lequel fait figure de plateforme relationnelle (Lederach, 2005) pour la contribution d’un agenda du coeur aux efforts de paix. Ce modèle informe sur le type de « réponse du coeur » en jeu dans un amour centré sur l’autre, communément vu comme un amour compassionnel (Fehr et al., 2009) et présente une série de variables, indicateurs et indices prenant en compte la synergie et qualité de présence particulières pouvant contribuer aux efforts de paix et à la création d’une culture de la paix intérieure et extérieure dans tout environnement. Mots-clé : Écoute compassionnelle, transformation des conflits, culture de la paix, compassion, écoute, sciences des religions appliquées, amour compassionnel, agenda du coeur, réponse du coeur, conflit israélo-palestinien.

No description available.

This collaborative study investigates the events that led to the repatriation of the Stone T’xwelátse from the Burke Museum of Natural History, University of Washington Seattle, USA to the Noxwsá7aq people of Deming Washington, USA and to the Stó:lō people of Chilliwack, B.C. Canada. Stone T’xwelátse is the first ancestor of the Chilliwack people who was transformed to stone by the transformer This research grew out of the desire to learn about and share the positive lessons learned during the repatriation process and to investigate if these experiences could benefit repatriation processes in Canada, specifically the province of B.C. This work establishes the current legal setting for cultural repatriation processes in Canada, the United States, and internationally, tells the ancient and contemporary story of Stone T’xwelátse, and examines the impact of Indigenous law, differing worldviews, community capacity, and relationships on cultural repatriation processes. An analysis of the conflict is presented through the identification of the key challenges and successes. The events of the repatriation, as told by the research participants, support the argument for the implementation of John Paul Lederach’s Conflict Transformation Theory practices in future cultural repatriation processes. Using Participatory Action Research and Indigenous Research methodologies data was gathered through participant interviews to form the result of the study: How to Work Together in a Good Way: Recommendations for the Future for Museums, Communities, and Individuals from the Participants of the Stone T’xwelátse Repatriation Research Project and Museum Professionals. These recommendations were formed to share the lessons learned from the Stone T’xwelátse repatriation and also to state changes that the participants would like to see implemented in cultural repatriation processes in Canada. Stone T’xwelátse is now with the Stó:lō people fulfilling his role to teach the people “how to live together in a good way.”

The Peace Agreement of 2016 between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army raised hopes after decades of internal armed conflict, but the levels of violence continue to be high in rural areas. Cauca is the department of Colombia where most social leaders and human rights defenders have been killed since 2016. To resist violence, to defend life and the territories, and to uphold rule of law based on the 1991 Colombian Constitution, the Indigenous Guards of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca use an integral method of nonviolence in the everyday setting. The aim of this study is to understand the impact of this method, perceived by the local people, as an alternative way to create peace in Colombia with concepts defined by Johan Galtung. With a decolonial research approach, an exemplifying qualitative comparative case study with fieldwork for the data collection has been carried out in Cauca, to give voice to and learn from the local communities. The results show a complex situation of an uneven progress of conflict transformation within the department, with significant economic inequalities. The challenges of cyclical war on a small scale are occurring, as in the case of the Proyecto Nasa in the Municipality of Toribío. At once, the possibilities of using this method to break the cycles of war through the power of asymmetry have occurred by conflict resolutions of dialogs with armed actors, as in the case of the resguardo of Paletará in the Municipality of Puracé Coconuco. It is claimed that by strengthening the institution of the Indigenous Guards, the collective actions of peacekeeping and peacebuilding in the territories can improve the process of conflict transformation by revitalizing the implementation of the 2016 Peace Agreement with its territorial focus and the ethnic chapter. / El Acuerdo Final de Paz de 2016 entre el Gobierno Colombiano y las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - Ejército del Pueblo elevó la esperanza tras décadas del conflicto armado interno, pero los niveles de violencia siguen siendo altos en las zonas rurales. El Cauca es el departamento de Colombia donde la mayoría de los lideres sociales y los defensores de derechos humanos han sido asesinados desde 2016. Para resistir a la violencia, para defender la vida y los territorios, y para mantener el Estado de Derecho basado en la Constitución Política de Colombia de 1991, el Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca utiliza un método integral de la no-violencia en el entorno cotidiano. El objetivo de este estudio es comprender el impacto de este método, percibida por la población local, como una vía alternativa para crear paz en Colombia con conceptos definidos por Johan Galtung. Con un enfoque de investigación decolonial, un estudio de caso comparativo con trabajo de campo para la recolección de datos ha sido realizado en el Cauca, para dar voz y aprender de las comunidades locales. Los resultados muestran una situación compleja con un progreso irregular de la transformación del conflicto dentro del departamento con disparidades significativas económicas. Los desafíos con una guerra cíclica a una pequeña escala están ocurriendo; como es el caso de Proyecto Nasa en el Municipio de Toribío. A la vez, las posibilidades con el uso de este método para romper con los ciclos de guerra a través del poder asimétrico han ocurrido por la resolución de conflicto con diálogos con actores armados; como en el caso del Resguardo de Paletará en el Municipio de Puracé Coconuco. Se afirma que, por el fortalecimiento de la institución de la Guardia Indígena, las acciones colectivas del mantenimiento de la paz y la consolidación de la paz en los territorios pueden mejorar el proceso de transformación del conflicto, revitalizando la implementación del Acuerdo Final de Paz de 2016 con el enfoque territorial y el capítulo étnico.