Peacebuilding Across the Disciplines

“The Institute challenges us to understand and define our roles as peacebuilders.”
Board of Directors

Peacebuilding is a complex, multifaceted process of change, where the emphasis is on addressing the root causes of conflict within a given context, involving both conflict transformation and prevention. Peace is more than the absence of war, violence or conflict; its sustainability requires the creation of communities uninhibited by structural inequalities. Peacebuilding is practiced not only at an international level in war zones or in countries that are in the post-conflict process, but also at a local level, in our own communities.

To be a successful process, peacebuilding requires a coordinated effort on the part of many actors who represent a variety of roles present in any community. The task of the Institute is to identify and work with these actors, many of whom do not think of themselves as traditional peacebuilders. Our role is to stretch the imaginations of these actors through our off-campus programs for graduate and undergraduate students and training and workshops for the community of Indianapolis. Because peacebuilding is a fluid process, the Institute is committed to learning alongside its students, academics, and practitioners on the challenges and techniques of the field.