• Peacebuilding and the Arts
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Conflict Type

In this inquiry the case studies are grouped to reflect the nature of the violence and the stage of the conflict:

• In the midst of violence
• The aftermath of mass violence and gross violations of human rights
• Structural violence and oppression.

In the midst of violence, war, occupation, and state terror rip apart the fabric of community life and give rise to rage, hatred, and fear.  Performances stimulate creativity and help communities to non-violently resist abuses of authority.

• Theatre as a Way of Knowing, Dijana Milošević
  
• Theatre, War, and Peace in Uganda, Charles Mulekwa
  
• The Created Space: Peacebuilding and Performance in Sri Lanka, Madhawa Palihapitiya
  
• Theatre, Resistance, and Peacebuilding in Palestine, Abeer Musleh
  

In the aftermath of intense violence, performances embody memories to help communities build relationships and imagine a different future.  They can celebrate identity while acknowledging interdependence, even among enemies.  They offer a place where justice and mercy can coexist.

• Fire in the Memory: Theatre, Truth and Justice in Argentina and Peru, Roberto Gutiérrez Varea
  
• Alive on Stage: Storms, Histories and Bodies, Catherine Filloux
  
• Hidden Fires: PeaceWorks' invocation as Žižekian response to the Gujarat massacre of 2002, Ruth Margraff
  
• Creating a New Story: Ritual, Ceremony and Conflict Transformation between Indigenous and Settler Peoples, Polly Walker
  

Where there has been structural violence and oppression, performances strengthen relationships within and between societies struggling with the dynamics of dislocation and inequality. Performances give voice, seek justice, and address conflicts in productive ways. 

• Performing Cross-Cultural Conversations: Creating New Kinships Through Community Theatre, Kate Gardner and Eugene van Erven
• Change the World As We Know It: Peace, Youth and Performance, Mary Ann Hunter
  
• Weaving Dialogues and Confronting Harsh Realities: Engendering Social Change in Israel through Performance, Aida Nasrallah and Lee Perlman
• Youth Leading Youth: Hip Hop and HipLife Theatre in Ghana and South Africa, Daniel Banks
  
• Do You Smell Something Stinky? Notes from Conversations About Making Art While Working for Peace in Racist, Imperial America in the 21st Century, John O'Neal