Shared Society – Developing the Next-Generation of Shared Society Theory and Practices
In order to overcome identity-based divisions and inter-group conflicts, our five-year collaborative program is bringing together leading professional organizations and academic institutions from five countries that face challenges in establishing a Shared Society among different groups, with the goal to to share knowledge and conduct innovative research. The participants will address questions, challenges and dilemmas regarding the facilitation of Shared Society development in countries facing identity-based divisions and inter-group conflicts. Through the establishment of an international transdisciplinary network and a learning community the participants will engage in ongoing dialogue and collaborative research, develop cutting-edge knowledge on theoretical and practical levels, broaden their professional expertise, and offer innovative methodologies to improve and support the next generation of scholarship. Learning from different approaches applied by various organizations and from the dilemmas different countries are facing, together with critically analyzing existing literature and engaging with researchers in the field will allow for developing shared knowledge which may also serve other countries facing similar challenges in their societies. We furthermore aspire to produce a state-of-the-art scholarship on how to develop Shared Societies, and hope to see organizations like The Club de Madrid, the European Union, and the United Nations contribute to the program and benefit from the acquired knowledge.
The Goals of the Project
- Presenting cutting-edge theoretical and practical knowledge on shared-society facilitation
- Knowledge transfer among academic institutions and civil society organizations from countries experiencing inter-group polarization and with a focus on topics of shared society development
- Creating a knowledge-circle between researchers and practitioners of shared society building, offering opportunities for cross-fertilization between theory and practice
- Creating a network of experts using community-learning mechanisms with the aim of facilitating long-term cross-fertilization and the development of coordinated action
- Providing PhD students in the field of peace and conflict studies with an opportunity to present their research and receive feedback from their peers as well as senior experts
- Advanced skill-building opportunity for practitioners in the field of peace work