Degree Name
MA in Conflict Transformation
First Advisor
Paula Green
Abstract
This paper, “Unlocking a Narrative: Stories of Islam and Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation,” highlights largely repressed and ignored experiences and information related to peacebuilding and conflict transformation within Islam, conveyed through eight semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a diverse range of self-identified Muslims as well as relevant academic literature on the subject. I elected to focus on the research question of: “How can Islam be understood as a tool or lifestyle used for peacebuilding and conflict transformation endeavors?” so as to raise awareness of a largely invisible body of knowledge (within dominant social circles, popular media, and the breadth of global social and academic research and knowledge) through the experiences and knowledge of people identifying as Muslims. The diverse range of interviewees, females and males from Southeast Asia, West Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, and the United States- as well as relevant literature consulted- transform dominant Islamophobic and reductionist views of Islam and people associated with the culture and faith, sharing concrete experiences as inspired by application of Islam’s imperatives and teachings. Understanding Islam and its teachings as a source for peacebuilding and conflict transformation provides researchers, conflict resolution and development practitioners, and all those affected by dominant social views, with a deepened awareness of how Islam and self-identified Muslims, have, and continue to exemplify peacebuilding and conflict transformation images.
Disciplines
Other Religion | Peace and Conflict Studies
Recommended Citation
Sinensky, Jeremy, "Unlocking a Narrative: Stories of Islam and Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation" (2015). Capstone Collection. 2764.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/2764