mesoamerica

Starting in the 1980s, John Paul participated through the outreach program of Semilla (whose headquarters were based in Guatemala City), a popular education and extension program that worked primarily with grassroots and church-related leadership. This program was offered to all of the countries of Central America from Panama to Mexico. Semilla also developed a publishing arm that produced a number of his books and essays from this time period. Wendy and John Paul lived in Costa Rica during a significant portion of this period. The primary fieldwork for his dissertation emerged from his experience with local community understandings of conflict and its transformation, particularly in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. His most extensive direct work became the support for the conciliation and peace process in Nicaragua that led up and through the late 1980s and early 1990s.

podcast

Living Now: Rehumanization in the 200 Year Present

A talk from the Upaya Zen Center sharing stories about experiences working with Indigenous communities around the world.

2016

podcast

The Art of Peace

A conversation with Krista Tippett exploring themes of the moral imagination, arts-inspired peacebuilding, and music and poetry in healing and reconciliation.

2010

magazine article

Becoming the Enemy

Stories and reflections woven in the development of a practical theology of the enemy.

1997

journal article

Missionaries Facing Conflict and Violence: Problems and Prospects

A chapter exploring the challenges of missionaries facing situations of violence and conflict, the paradox of being faithful and being human.

1992

journal article

Mediating Conflict in Central America

A study focusing on how mediation has been used in conflict management within Nicaragua with particular reference to the Esquipulas peace process.

1991

interview

“In Conversation”: John Paul and Gladys Ganiel

A conversation at the 2021 4 Corners Festival reflecting on peacebuilding and conflict transformation through John Paul's career past and present.

2021

interview

Beyond Intractability Interview

A interview with Julian Portilla exploring themes of narrative and storytelling, insider-outsider models of mediation, and personal and professional formative influences in the U.S. during the Civil Rights Movement, in Nicaragua, and in Costa Rica.

2003