The Shriver Seminar 2007: Foundations and Conversations in Peacebuilding and Conflict Analysis

In 2007, the Shriver Seminar explored the theory and practice of peacebuilding by analyzing a Sargent Shriver case study in light of the “insight” approach to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. The insight approach is based on the philosophy of the Canadian philosopher, theologian and economist, Bernard Lonergan; the Shriver case study focused on the role and performance of Peace Corps Volunteers, politicians, diplomats, and the press during the US military invasion of the Dominican Republic in April 1965—an event triggered by a an uprising of Dominican citizens to overthrow a military junta and restore constitutional rule.

The Shriver Seminar integrated three principal components: public lectures, a 2-credit graduate seminar, and an interactive theatrical performance. (1) Taken together, the sequence of six public lectures by scholars from ICAR, St. Paul’s University, and Carleton University examined the philosophical and moral foundations of an “insight” approach to peacebuilding and conflict resolution, and explore the implications of this approach in the field for the practice of negotiation, mediation, diplomacy, and institution-building. (2) Each lecturer led a discussion in the graduate seminar, relating the topic of his or her lecture to the concrete acts and events of the Shriver case study. (3) The Shriver Seminar culminated in the performance of an interactive play, commissioned by the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute, that dramatically explored the dynamics of conflict and peacebuilding operative in the Dominican Republic.

The 2008 Shriver Seminar: Poverty, Conflict and Community Building has been postponed. Please visit back for the updated schedule.


	Biography Photos Speeches Shriver Seminar Spiritualizing Politics 4th Goal Project American Idealist Contact The Shriver Seminar 2007: Foundations and Conversations in Peacebuilding and Conflict Analysis In 2007, the Shriver Seminar explored the theory and practice of peacebuilding by analyzing a Sargent Shriver case study in light of the “insight” approach to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. The insight approach is based on the philosophy of the Canadian philosopher, theologian and economist, Bernard Lonergan; the Shriver case study focused on the role and performance of Peace Corps Volunteers, politicians, diplomats, and the press during the US military invasion of the Dominican Republic in April 1965—an event triggered by a an uprising of Dominican citizens to overthrow a military junta and restore constitutional rule. The Shriver Seminar integrated three principal components: public lectures, a 2-credit graduate seminar, and an interactive theatrical performance. (1) Taken together, the sequence of six public lectures by scholars from ICAR, St. Paul’s University, and Carleton University examined the philosophical and moral foundations of an “insight” approach to peacebuilding and conflict resolution, and explore the implications of this approach in the field for the practice of negotiation, mediation, diplomacy, and institution-building. (2) Each lecturer led a discussion in the graduate seminar, relating the topic of his or her lecture to the concrete acts and events of the Shriver case study. (3) The Shriver Seminar culminated in the performance of an interactive play, commissioned by the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute, that dramatically explored the dynamics of conflict and peacebuilding operative in the Dominican Republic. The 2008 Shriver Seminar: Poverty, Conflict and Community Building has been postponed. Please visit back for the updated schedule.