HARRISONBURG, Va. - The U. S. Institute of Peace has awarded two students in the Conflict Transformation Program (CTP) at Eastern Mennonite University just under $40,000 to do a major research project in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Ali Gohar and Hassan M. Yousufzai, both natives of Pakistan, will use the funds to continue their study of the "Jirga," a traditional conflict resolution mechanism of the Pashtun people, who live on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Both men are studying at EMU as Fulbright Conflict Resolution Program scholars, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational Cultural Affairs.
The men and are scheduled to complete their M.A. in Conflict Transformation degrees in December 2002.
Mennonite Central Committee, Akron, Pa., has also committed $5,000 to the project.
The importance of the Jirga came to the fore in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when issues related to Afghan legislative reorganization and governance became subject to Jirga, a term unknown to most contemporary societies.
Jirga is a council of respected elders from within a community appointed by the general consent of the community or by the special recommendations of the parties in dispute to deliberate issues and reach a consensus in line with the social, ethical and religious order of the community. The institution of Jirga is practiced mainly in the Pushto-speaking areas of northwestern and western Pakistan and much of Afghanistan.
"The concept and practice of Jirga has passed from generation to generation in a traditional oral mode, and its dynamics are difficult for outsiders to understand," said Vernon Jantzi, co-director of the CTP program, who is working with Gohar and Yusufzai on this project..
"Currently, there is a growing interest in the international community to understand Afghan society and the region and to assist in stabilizing the peace there. Also, it’s important for non-governmental organizations to understandand and use traditional methods of interventions to ensure their work will be sustainable in the field," Dr. Jantzi added.
Gohar and Yousufzai plan to document the principle of Jirga in a methodical way with a focus on how the process works and to what extent the efforts are able to resolve conflicts and bring peace.
The first four months of 2003, they will conduct interviews over a four-month period with some 30 tribal and Jirga elders from Afghanistan and the northwest frontier province of Pakistan. They will also meet with representatives of various organizations in both countries.
The researchers' goal is to produce a resource and training manual focusing on intermediary roles and conflict transformation for organizations working at the community level as well as for academicians and local groups. The final manual will be published in English and in the Pushto language and made available in both hard copy and web versions, tentatively slated for mid-2004.
Dr. Jantzi is working with the students on designing the specific methodology, how to analyze the collected data and guide the production of the draft of the reference and training manual.
The CTP program currently has 15 Fulbright students enrolled to bring student- scholars from South Asia, the Near East and North Africa region to campus to study principles of peace-building within and between communities and is designed to support coursework and independent research Patricia S. Harrison, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, welcomed the award.
"This award further enhances the opportunity for these students to represent what people-to-people diplomacy is all about: relationship building at every level," she said. "People are enabled to resolve conflict through dialogue, respect and knowledge."
The U.S. Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan federal institution created and funded by Congress to strengthen the nation's capacity to promote the peaceful resolution of international conflict. Established in 1984, the Institute meets its congressional mandate through an array of programs, including grants, fellowships, conferences and workshops, library services, publications and other educational activities.
- Jim Bishop, EMU public communications officer
Copyright © 2002-2004 justpeaceint.cjb.net. All rights reserved.