71: Transforming Conflict in the US and Beyond

Published: Nov. 3, 2020, 4:28 p.m.

Being at a loss as to how to manage the political conflicts within my own social circle I reached out to my old professor, Tatsushi Arai, to learn how Americans might apply the principles of Conflict Transformation to our interactions at the personal, professional, and community levels, whatever the outcome of the US election.\xa0

But it should be noted that this discussion is not specific to America, and that Dr. Arai has worked all over the US and all over the world as both an educator and as a field practitioner, mediating conflicts in West Asia, East Asia, Africa, and between more groups, and in more places, than we have room to list. Every community stands to benefit from a better understanding of this much undervalued, underutilized, and much misunderstood field of the social sciences. So, wherever you\u2019re listening from, and whoever you\u2019re voting for in your next election, or if you\u2019re simply hoping to have a free election, you\u2019ll likely find something in our conversation that can make engaging with your fellow citizens both more civil and more productive.