Collective Trauma & Reconstructing the Social Fabric
The first episode features Dr. Vernon Jantzi, currently director of academic programs here at Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) and a co-founder of the center more than 25 years ago. Janzti served as director and co-director from 1995-2002.
Jantzi begins the interview with a story of fascinating coincidence: how his visit to a rural community while on alternative service in Nicaragua became the subject of a 10-minute extemporaneous speech in Spanish and how that topic led, not to an assistantship at Cornell to teach the language, but instead a full scholarship to earn his doctorate in sociology.
He also discusses how his work with land reform in Costa Rica led to an exploration of mediation and peacebuilding, followed by a collaboration with John Paul Lederach, then also teaching in the sociology department at EMU, to create a graduate program in conflict transformation.
Now 26 years later, Jantzi reflects on the changes he’s seen in CJP and how the center is reimagining itself in ways that are responsive to the current political environment in the United States but also to its global network of alumni.
“...Working with people in different parts of the world, they'd say, ‘well, you know, it's great to have you here ...But you know, if you really wanted to make a difference, you'd go back and you would change the way your government relates to the rest of the world, or you would do this,’” Jantzi said. “...That’s the exciting part about being at CJP right now.”
Respect, dignity, an awareness of the need to honor past history and trauma to promote current healing and how we do this at the national and local levels -- Jantzi sees these approaches as key values for CJP now and in the coming months.
Jantzi’s longtime connection to peacebuilding work in Mexico offers a case study for the importance of trust and cooperation among community members. Successful efforts to “rebuild the social fabric” in that region now integrate elements of restorative justice, trauma healing and truth-telling, he says.