In an increasingly fractured world, Middlebury has made a commitment to serve as an incubator for research, teaching, and student experiences to address divisiveness in society. Working with more than 100 partner institutions in the United States and around the world, Middlebury is working to embed principles and practices of conflict transformation in the liberal arts from high school to graduate school.
Many of us hear the word conflict and think of the stress and harm of “us versus them” dynamics, what Amanda Ripley calls high conflict. This sort of conflict can destroy relationships and communities; other forms of conflict, however, are not just essential but desirable. As John Paul Lederach describes, conflict can be a gift. Conflict helps keep relationships and social structures honest, alive, and responsive to human needs and aspirations.
For scholars, the field of conflict transformation (CT) explores how destructive conflicts can change and become relatively constructive. Importantly, it also involves the study of how people conduct themselves to foster such changes (Kriesberg 2009). The transformations that emerge might happen at the personal level (a change of heart), the structural level (a change in power), or somewhere in between.
As an area of practice, conflict transformation encompasses a wide array of work, from mindfulness and interpersonal relationships to international mediation and peacebuilding. We can each participate in conflict transformation if we start in the places we already inhabit.
The Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation seeks to learn lessons from this vast community that can be adapted to the issues and questions that are most pressing for Middlebury. The work we do—at the College, the Middlebury Institute, Bread Loaf, and Schools Abroad—will help build new networks and expand our ability to transform the world around us.
Laying a foundation and building structures for conflict transformation—from high school to undergraduate learning to graduate education and beyond.
Equipping students with civic skills to address the conflicts that arise in a diverse society.
Exploring self-awareness, restorative practices, dialogue, intercultural communication, and mediation.
Teaching how community structures and social systems contribute to conflict and ways to resolve it.
Researching effective solutions through original research and constructive debate within various professions.
Understanding the diverse forms of conflict in cultural, political, and geographic settings.
Supporting innovative faculty research projects involving students related to conflict transformation.
The Global Body in Conflict: Movement Matters series welcomes artist Tatiana Desardouin, whose work explores race, Black culture, immigration and colonization through Hip Hop dance. Join Tatiana for a Movement Matters Master class.
Mahaney Arts Center Dance Theatre
Open to the PublicThis is an opportunity for the ELP participants to join together for lunch and discussion.
McCullough - Mitchell Green Lounge
Closed to the Public
The Global Body in Conflict: Movement Matters series welcomes artist Tatiana Desardouin, whose work explores race, Black culture, immigration and colonization through Hip Hop dance. Join Tatiana for an artist talk.
Mahaney Arts Center Dance Theatre
Open to the Public
