Mennonite Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation

Abstract

Abstract HOw Does The Mennonite Approach to peacebuilding and conflict transformation differ from other forms of conflict resolution? Although it shares many features of process and structure with other forms of domestic and international conflict resolution, there is a distinctive culture to Mennonite mediation and peacebuilding. I have long thought that conflict resolution processes take shape within particular cultural frameworks, which de-fine the nature of personhood, community, conflict, and social justice. The chapters in this book provide rich evidence of the wide variety of Mennonite mediation and peacebuilding initiatives in international settings, but they also indicate that there are underlying similarities in the cultural frameworks that inform them. This chapter endeavors to describe the fundamental concepts and practices embedded in Mennonite peacebuilding as revealed in the accounts in this book. It also describes the dilemmas and contradictions inherent in the Mennonite approach to peacebuilding. These practices grow out of a long Mennonite spiritual tradition and history. Mennonite religious faith, conceptions of community, and theories of social justice shape the practices of Mennonite peacebuilding. The religious foundation of the process affects standards of success and effectiveness, modes of entering into conflict situations, notions of the speed of conflict resolution, and assessments of the importance of building relationships or negotiating settlements. One critical difference between those parts of Mennonite peace-building that rely on mediation and secular versions of mediation is the continuing commitment of Mennonite mediators to leave control of the process in the hands of the parties.