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Dissertation Proposal Defense: Bridget Moix - Choosing Peace: A Collaborative Study of Peace Agency
November 21, 11 am - 1 pm
Room 5000
Abstract: Choosing Peace: A Collaborative Study of Peace Agency
Bridget Moix, November 2014
In every violent conflict, no matter how entrenched and seemingly hopeless, there are always people choosing peace. Why do some individuals and groups actively opt out of violence and work for peace, while many around them do not? What motivates them toward such choices and what sustains them against the risks? How could the international community better support them? This research proposal considers the overarching question: Why and how do people choose peace in the midst of violence? To find answers, it proposes gathering first-hand perspectives of peacebuilders themselves on three more specific research questions that explore: 1) their own motivations in choosing to act for peace, 2) their understanding of what sustains and supports them in those choices, and 3) their ideas on how the international community can best support them in these choices. The project is organized as collaborative action research with the non-governmental organization Peace Direct and its network of local peacebuilders around the world. It will employ a mixed methodology of semi-structured interviews, data content coding, and grounded theory analysis as it seeks to outline the contours of a theory of peace agency. In doing so, it challenges the peacebuilding field to look first for “everyday peace” capacities within a conflict context and to trust the wisdom and potential within all of us to construct a better future for our communities.