Conflict Transformation

ABSTRACT: Student-involvement in higher-education is necessary for quality-assurance outcomes, yet such involvement also threatens attainment of quality assured, presenting the paradox of higher-education (HE) systems. With the massification of enrolment-figures across the HE sector has been the need to balance HEI and student-centred perspectives. The notion of students as co-producers, consumers, and products of HEI processes creates discord in the quality assurance arena. Contradictory problems manifest when the producer must satisfy the consumer and audit quality of the products, yet students are all of these. This article explored the extent to which student-involvement fosters quality as well as sets parameters beyond which such participation cannot be done without compromising quality-assurance and desired academic-success. The article drew a line for student-involvement and
quality- assurance as double-barreled and sometimes paradoxical, contradictory pursuits. Data elicited from two HEIs in Zimbabwe
using the questionnaire method and analysed using Microsoft Excel package generated descriptive frequencies and related graphs
and charts to present findings. Documents were analysed using thematic content analysis to glean for relevant secondary data. Student-involvement is marred by unclear parameters at the three confluences of ‘students as co-producers’; ‘students as consumers’; and ‘students as products’ of HEI quality-assurance processes students should participate in, consume, and be products of. Derolling is thus necessary for students to function in various capacities as as co-producers, consumers, or as products. Students as ‘co-producers’ cannot be expected to produce themselves through ‘students as products’, neither can they be ‘consumers’ themselves while being the ‘product’ to be consumed by industry and communities through employment and innovation. The
National Assembly should address contradictions through amending HEI-establishing Acts to cede policy making powers to the University Councils acting jointly with senior management of universities. As co-producers, students involvement should be unlimited at governance levels (by different HEI students) while as consumers (within particular HEIs), student involvement should be limited to lower rungs at consumer level to avoid contradictions that potentially compromise quality. As HEI products, students should be limited to Alumni activities as main function should clearly differentiate among the various roles when crafting HEI
policies that foster student involvement.

KEYWORDS: higher-education-institutions, student-involvement, quality-assurance, students-as co-producers, paradox

In the Syrian civil war, the Salafi jihadi armed group Ahrar al-Sham was one of the largest and most powerful non-state armed groups. This report outlines the development of Ahrar al-Sham and explores the conditions that led to its de-escalation and analyses as a second step the role and challenges of dialogue engagement. The report analyses three strategic shifts of de-escalation and the organisational, ideological and external factors that contributed to these shifts. The report then outlines the experiences of third-party dialogue efforts with Ahrar al-Sham, analysing the challenges of such endeavours for third parties but also for Ahrar al-Sham. As a borderline Salafi jihadi armed group that was not terror listed, the report offers valuable insights into the challenges of negotiations with more extreme Salafi jihadi armed groups. In the case of Ahrar al-Sham the main challenges resulted from the internal group dynamics and the rivalry with other insurgents on the Salafi jihadi spectrum.

Conflict resolution studies penetrate many areas of our lives. It cops with social and political interaction. Conflict of interest characterizes both individual and social groups. Some scientists claim that conflicts are an integral part of our lives as social creatures and therefore we must include them as a part of human nature development and progress. Others see that conflict is a temporary issue that will disappear with human future development progress. However, due to the different ontological approaches, there is the same ground for common points regarding the roots of conflicts they appear as ethnic, historical, political, economic, and many others. Beginning with the ancient Greek Philosophy and Mythology, through variable religious conceptions and ended with the newest research in philosophy, psychology, and political science. All of them questioned the nature of conflict and its resolution.
Many fields of human wisdom agreed in their vision, that conflicts are an integral part of human nature (Plato, 2002; Plato, 1971). Nowadays, social sciences and other fields of research see conflict as a process of synthesis among contradicting factors, much like merging materials in the exact sciences. More than that psychological approach supports these findings with the claim that conflicts are being a part of our unconscious human perceptions (Adler, 1936; Adler, 2010; Freud, 1962, 1965, 1921; Marx, Engels, 1848; Ropers, 2002). In contrast with the past century humanistic approach nowadays centrality has been perceived by realistic thinkers. This perception sets new aims to find methodological and empirical tools for measuring and understanding conflicts and its resolution.
Those concepts set as goals bring facts rather than giving a ruling concept or the perception of truth and justice. It is about investigating the phenomenon with various tools. Although a realistic approach provides an explanation and research tool, it is difficult to come up with solutions and sometimes it causes more complexibility in conflict. Therefore, the purpose of the present work is to choose a “third way” that presents a synthesis between realistic and idealistic conceptions as described in works of Pyotr Demianovich Ouspenskii, Nikolai Berdyaev, Emanuel Kant and many others (Berdyaev, 2002; Berdyaev, 2004; Ouspensky, 1922). There is no doubt that the current essay is not going to resolve or give pure answers, but extensive knowledge from multidisciplinary fields such as philosophy, social and natural sciences medicine, and psychology. The main goal of the integrated interdisciplinary approach is to provide a comprehensive and broad picture that will raise more questions than provide answers. In the breath of conception stands the assumption that conflicts are investigated as collision and as a phenomenon that requires interpretation. However, adherence is linked to creating reconciliation and transformation processes. Such perception appears in the works of great intellectuals such as Roberto Assagioli (1888- 1974), Italian psychiatrist and pioneer in the fields of humanistic and transpersonal psychology who discovers resolving human conflict as an individual, John Paul Lederach who explores group conflict and develops the basis for its transformation, Martin Liner, in his approach of creating learning groups on and many others. All of these settings as s central goal the understanding of conflict and its transformation into positive paths that will serve the good of the individual and the group. Therefore, this book presents those perceptions through qualitative and quantitative research, deep empirical and methodological understanding that serves the purpose of conflict transformation (CT) both on a personal and a group level. The review addresses and takes a source from the individual level through the psychosynthesis approach, and a group level through the perception of conflict transformation in Political and Social science research. The current work is co-creation of researchers from different fields in life and social sciences, medicine, clinical psychology, and philosophy. Such cooperation is set to form a foundation for further fertile research.

Versão impressa disponível na Amazon: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/8578226755


Os Estudos para a Paz constituem uma área do conhecimento voltada ao estudo do fenômeno da violência e do conflito e à sua redução em distintas esferas. Como uma área consolidada desde finais dos anos 1950, os EPP têm contribuído decisivamente para os debates de políticas públicas internacionais, tanto pela promoção de mediação, reconciliação e transformação de conflitos armados quanto pela promoção do debate sobre o próprio conceito de paz, não mais focado apenas na cessação de violência armada entre beligerantes, mas entendido como um conceito que inclui elementos 'positivos', como acesso à justiça, bem-estar social e equanimidade. A presente obra tem como objetivo atender a uma crescente demanda por literatura em língua portuguesa na área de Estudos para a Paz. Visa facilitar a divulgação do conhecimento sobre a promoção da paz e seus conceitos em cursos de graduação e pós-graduação, bem como para pessoas que trabalhem diretamente com atividades que visam a redução da violência e a promoção de valores que reafirmem a paz como princípio fundamental da sociedade. Com a colaboração de acadêmicos do Brasil, Portugal, Moçambique e Estados Unidos, esta obra tem um caráter introdutório, unindo conceitos elementares que compõem o pano de fundo da área a discussões aprofundadas sobre temas centrais desta agenda.