tajikistan

During the early 2000s, John Paul had the opportunity to collaborate with the Sustained Dialogue Institute, the Tajik Ministry of Education, and several Tajik universities in an initiative to develop curriculum, including the first Tajik-language text that compiles approaches to peacebuilding from different parts of the world coupled with original Tajik research on conflict and peace in the setting of Tajikistan. Through this initiative John Paul encountered a professor who was intimately involved in the pre-negotiation process that led to the end of Tajikistan's civil war. The resources in this section share numerous iterations of this story of an unlikely friendship seeded in poetry and courage as well as reflections on the journey of facilitating, training, and learning alongside Tajik colleagues.

presentation

The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace

A keynote address delivered at the Fourth Annual Conference of the Association of Conflict Resolution.

2004

presentation

Peacebuilding Today: An Appeal for the Moral Imagination

A lecture given at Messiah College's Sider Institute on the power of the moral imagination in the turning point of a new Millennium in human history.

2002

presentation

The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Peacemaking

A lecture on the moral imagination in peacebuilding delivered for the Annual Gottlieb Lecture at the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2003.

2003

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

document

Tajikistan: The Ironies of Birth and the Building of Civil Society

Reflections emergent from collaborating alongside university professors in Tajikistan to produce the Tajik language textbook about peacebuilding.

2002

document

A Story from Tajikistan: Talking Philosophy with the Warlord

A story of mediation and poetic friendship between a warlord and a professor that led to the talks that ended the Tajik civil war.

2005

document

Beyond Prayer: The Imperative of Moral Imagination

Lessons from experience as a conciliator working with religious leaders in settings of violent conflict, shedding light on the post-9/11 debate around if religion can be a source to stop cycles of violence.

2001

paper

Mercy: The Power of Unexpected Love Incarnated

A conference address reflecting on the relationship between Mercy and forgetfulness on the path toward healing.

2002