Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance: Dialogues in Peace

We use the term “dialogue” here in a particular sense: broadly inspired by Linguistic philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of Dialogism, with a focus on heteroglossia – multivioicedness – and “folk critique”; and more specific to our context, inspired by Funmi Olonisakin’s notion of “conversations”. The latter refers to societal-level exchanges around conflict and peace as “messy political processes” shifting the focus away from technocratic externally imposed institutional solutions. Perhaps in a similar vein, we are in need of more scholarly-practitioner conversations and “conversible spaces” today that are as little “scripted” in advance as possible.  Thus, through the Dialogues in Peace series, we are hoping to engage in explorations to work our way through potentially differing/complimentary ways of thinking and doing peace across scholarly and practitioner worlds, and thus cross-pollinate ideas, potentially generate research questions, and forge collaborations.

Dialogues in Peace conveners

Dr Tatevik Mnatsakanyan; and Dr Christina Oelgemoller.

The Inaugural event of Dialogues in Peace took place on 24^th May 2023. It aimed to be a broader conversation on the state of the field, rather than more specifically thematic, as the subsequent events will aim to be. The Panel of participants across the scholarly-practitioner world debated key problems/concerns as they see them emerging in scholarship/praxis, and we will aim to tease out any emerging trends.  The conversation will address the question: What are the three major problems/emerging trends/challenges that concern you most in the realm of peace currently in the world and why?

Panellists:

- Prof  'Funmi Olonisakin, Professor of Security, Leadership & Development; Founding Member of African Leadership Centre; Co-chair of the Board, King's Global Health Partnerships; Vice President (International, Engagement & Service), King’s College London.

- Prof Oliver Richmond, Professor of Politics, University of Manchester.

- Mr Tahir Aziz, Senior Advisor, South Asia, Conciliation Resources,  http://www.c-r.org/ 

Discussant: Dr Giulia Piccolino