peace

Queering the Colombian conflict with Dr Samuel Ritholtz [Ep. 25]

Hear from Dr. Samuel Ritholtz, a Max Weber fellow at the European University Institute and specialist in queer experiences of conflict, crisis, and displacement, as they talk about their research into anti-LGBT violence during Colombia's civil war. We explore the violence's impact on LGBT communities, the dynamics of paramilitaries, and the concept of queer peacebuilding. Let's dive in!
In this episode, we discuss:
The logic behind anti-LGBT violence by paramilitaries during Colombia's civil war.
Paramilitaries' history, including their connection to narco-trafficking and role in the conflict.
The concept of queer peacebuilding and its relevance in post-conflict settings.
The ontology of cruelty in civil war and the perception of different forms of violence.
Thanks to Sam for offering their insights into the intersection of conflict, violence, and queer experiences.  Connect with them here:
Samuel.RITHOLTZ@eui.eu
https://www.samuelritholtz.com/
https://twitter.com/SamRitholtz/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sritholtz/

Reincorporating combatants in Colombia with Dr. Solveig Richter and Laura Camila Barrios Sabogal [Ep. 19]

In this episode, Host, Laura May, talks with guests, Dr. Solveig Richter and Laura Camila Barrios Sabogal about Colombia as a case study for how conflict behaves and how conflict transforms itself.  Topics discussed include:
The role of language in the Peace Accords
Security concerns
Listening to local partners
Psychological support
Involving communities in the research and the final products
Connect with the Guests:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-barrios-sabogal-6a9440b6
https://mobile.twitter.com/LauraC_Barrios
https://www.linkedin.com/in/solveig-richter-b451b1193
https://mobile.twitter.com/SolveigRichter
 
About the Guests:
Laura Camila Barrios Sabogal's bio:
Doctoral Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) and Goethe Universität Frankfurt. Former Director of the Master’s Program in Conflict, Memory and Peace at Universidad del Rosario and former member of the Center for Conflict and Peace Studies of the same University. Master of Public Policy with a specialization in Conflict Studies and Management, Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, University of Erfurt, Germany. Bachelor Professional in government and international relations, Universidad Externado de Colombia. Her research interests cover gender, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), democratization and peacebuilding in post-conflict countries.
Solveig Richter's bio: https://www.uni-erfurt.de/en/brandtschool/the-school/people/visiting-lecturers/prof-dr-solveig-richter
 
Solveig Richter's bio and institutional profile:https://www.uni-leipzig.de/en/profile/mitarbeiter/prof-dr-solveig-richter
 
About host, Laura May, PhD:
Laura is a former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute and a negotiation and mediation lecturer.  Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science.  Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics.  Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!

Cancer, conflict, and digital technologies in peace mediation with Dr. Miguel Varela Rodriguez [Ep. 18]

In this episode, Laura speaks with Dr. Miguel Varela Rodriguez, an academic at the University of Valladolid in Spain, and peace mediation expert.  Listen if you're interested in:
 
How cancer and conflict are portrayed on social media
Use of images in peace mediation
The role of technology and AI in peace mediation
 
About Miguel:
 
Miguel is a PhD sociologist and photographer. His work looks at social conflict, public health and collective photographic practices, focusing on social media.  He teaches negotiation and mediation at the University of Valladolid in Spain, has a long history of peace work with organisations such as MediatEUr and Conciliation Resources, and consults for NGOs and development agencies.
 
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguel-varela/
Website: https://www.miguelvarela.me/
About Laura:
Laura is a former Executive Director of the International Mediation Institute and a negotiation and mediation lecturer.  Her doctoral research asked “in what ways does blame make villains in politics” and covered the gamut from literature studies and linguistics to psychology and neuroscience, victimology to political science.  Her expertise includes emotions, polarization, blame, and international politics.  Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or ResearchGate—or even both!

Gender, conflict, and saving pandas with Brianna Hernandez [Ep. 15]

In this episode, Laura speaks with PhD candidate Brianna Hernandez, whose work focuses on gender, conflict, and environmentalism.  She is currently at Florida International University, committee member for the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and a WWF panda ambassador.
 
Listen if you want to hear about:
The problem of binaries and black-and-white thinking
Why we can't 'just add women and stir' in peacebuilding processes
'Not all men', gender-based violence, and victim/perpetrator roles
The cross-over between gender inclusion and environmentalism
The problem of empowerment
When we should (and shouldn't!) listen to experts
 
 
Links to learn more:
Personal website: https://briannanhernandez.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brihz1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_brihernandez1

Gender, climate change, and conflict with Laura Aumeer [Ep. 13]

In this episode Laura interviews Laura Aumeer, Director of the Europe-Asia Department of Conciliation Resources, overseeing work in the South Caucasus and South Asia regions, as well as cross-regional peacebuilding work.
Laura brings expertise on adaptive peacebuilding management and led our work with the Smart Peace consortium, an innovative consortium integrating research and implementation to address complex conflict problems. She also worked closely with the Women Mediators across the Commonwealth Team, providing secretariat support to the network. 
Before Laura joined Conciliation Resources, she set up and managed violence reduction programmes with a focus on learning and innovation, for an international development consultancy, where she managed teams in Nigeria, South Sudan and Malawi. She previously worked in DFID, to support adaptive programming and learning.
Before this, she worked in and with grassroots UK-based charities to advocate for an inclusive approach to tackling gender-based violence, and to increase support for women's organisations. She holds an MSc from LSE in politics and democracy, for which she conducted research with women's organisations and wider civil society organisations in Thailand and Egypt on the changing nature of civil society-state relations.
Laura Aumeer | Conciliation Resources (c-r.org)

Communities in conflict with Felicity Steadman [Ep. 11]

In this episode Laura interviews Mediator and Facilitator Felicity Steadman. Felicity's career started out in the turbulent apartheid years in South Africa where she honed her dispute resolution skills and her capacity to work with diverse groups of people in the industrial relations field. She has mediated in 32 countries for more than thirty years, with more than 500 cases completed. After arriving in the UK in 2002 she quickly adapted to a new jurisdiction, qualified as a CEDR mediator and began mediating commercial disputes through CEDR. She was first accredited as a CEDR mediator in 2003, and in 2019 was appointed Head of Faculty at CEDR.  In 2021 she was ranked by Legal 500 amongst their top mediators in the UK. She is a founding member of Oxford Mediation.
Felicity Steadman | Achieving Sustainable Outcomes

Hope in intractable conflict with Dr. Oded Adomi Leshem [Ep. 07]

In this episode Laura interviews Oded Adomi Leshem, a Senior Research Associate at the PICR Lab and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, both housed in the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. His research is located at the nexus of international relations, political science, and social psychology with a specialization in the beliefs and perceptions of people mired in protracted conflicts.
Oded studies the hopes and fears of people living in conflict zones and the impact of these future-oriented perceptions on political behavior. More broadly, he's interested in the formation and transformation of political attitudes and ideologies during violent conflicts. Apart from his focus on advancing theories in conflict resolution and political psychology, a key aspect of his research agenda is to design and test psychological interventions aimed at conflict transformation.
More about Oded: https://www.eranhalperin.com/oded-adomi-leshem
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Oded-Leshem
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oded-adomi-leshem/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/adomi101
Email: oded.leshem@mail.huji.ac.il

Mediating peace with Dr. Juan Diaz-Prinz [Ep. 04]

In this episode Laura interviews Dr. Juan Diaz-Prinz, senior expert on mediation and dialogue at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Juan is a mediator, trainer, and facilitator who has dedicated his career to bridging the gap between theory and practice in mediation. He started his career in the Office of the International Mediator in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1998-2004) and then co-founded the CSSP: Berlin Center for Integrative Mediation. He served as its director and senior mediator between 2005 and 2013. He later supported the founding of the European Institute of Peace for mediatEUr: the European Forum for International Mediation and Dialogue. Before joining USIP, he was working on developing the Conflict Management Space as an online platform for developing simple innovative training material for practitioners working in the field.