Dissertation Proposal Defense: Sustaining Change: Long-Term Effectiveness of Dialogue Programs in the South Caucasus

Dissertation Proposal Defense by Philip Gamaghelyan, PhD Candidate.

In recent years dialogues and problem-solving workshops became commonplace in conflict resolution practice worldwide, including in the Caucasus. Only some participants who take part in these workshops, however, sustain the change and commit themselves to challenging the dominant conflict discourse, while most do not. The focus of this research is change that leads previously non-engaged individuals, and individuals negatively engaged, to commit to conflict resolution. The questions this study aims to answer are: How do some change-makers manage not to regress back to the dominant discourse, while most do? How is the journey of those who stay committed different from others? And how can these findings contribute to developing improved program methodologies with built-in support for sustained change?