John Paul Lederach

John Paul Lederach
Born John Paul Lederach
(1955-04-17) 17 April 1955
Indiana, United States of America
Nationality American
Education BA History and Peace Studies Bethel College; Ph.D. Sociology University of Colorado
Occupation Professor
Known for author of several books on Conflict Transformation, founder of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, professor of conflict studies
Religion Christian (Mennonite)
Awards 2000 - Community of Christ International Peace Award
2002 - Keys to Access Award from CADRE (the National Center for Dispute Resolution in Special Education)
2006 - Martin Luther King Order of Peace Medal
2009 Pax Christi Award - St. John's University and Abbey
2009 Reinhold Neibuhr Award from the University of Notre Dame
2014 Distinguished Scholar Award - International Studies Association

John Paul Lederach is Professor of International Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, and concurrently Distinguished Scholar at Eastern Mennonite University. He has written widely on conflict resolution and mediation. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Colorado. In 1994 he became the founding director for the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University where he was a professor.[1]

Early life and education

Lederach was born in Indiana into the family of a local preacher, whom he was named after. He graduated from Bethel College in 1980 with a degree in History and Peace Studies. During this time he was working for the Mennonite Board of Missions in Barcelona, Spain. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Sociology with a concentration in the Social Conflict Program from the University of Colorado, receiving his degree in 1988. During this time (from 1975-1996) he was also very active with the Mennonite Central Committee serving for a time as the Director of the Mennonite Conciliation Service. [2][3]

Academic work

Dr. Lederach's theories of elicitive methods of conflict resolution have been influential in the fields of political science, peace studies, international relations and conflict transformation. His works have been published widely in English and Spanish.[3] His academic work comes from his experience in the field as a mediator, negotiator, peacebuilding practitioner, trainer and consultant. At the international level, this has involved input into peace processes in Somalia, Northern Ireland, Nicaragua, Colombia and Nepal. Within communities, his work has often been at the level of reconciliation within church and family.

"Change only comes through ensuring that people are represented. In Somalia where I did a lot of my early work, there was no government and it was a chaotic situation. My job was to engage in longer term bottom-up grassroots work. You do this by establishing organisations for elders, women's associations and so on which build strength into a community by creating space for civil society." - from a BBC interview [4]

Dr. Lederach has given many keynote, commencement, and high-level lectures, among them a keynote lecture entitled "Narratives of Care: The Social Echo of Community Transformation" at the Conversations on Attachment conference at Eastern Mennonite University.[5] and a lecture entitled "Compassionate Presence: Faith-Based Peacebuilding in the Face of Violence" at the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice Distinguished Lecture Series.

Religion and beliefs

Dr. Lederach is a committed Mennonite Christian, and as he explains in his 1999 book Journey Toward Reconciliation (see below), his Christian faith has affected both his thinking and application of non-violent solutions to conflict. In 2000, he received the Community of Christ International Peace Award.[6]

Lederach's work began to gain more widespread attention in the mainstream Evangelical world after Bill Hybels, founder and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church praised the book Journey Toward Reconciliation in a Christmas 2013 sermon series.[7] In light of the sudden interest in the book, its publisher, Herald Press, released an updated edition under the title Reconcile: Conflict Transformation for Ordinary Christians in August 2014. The new edition includes a foreword written by Bill Hybels and his wife Lynne.

During both days of the 20th Global Leadership Summit August 14–15, 2014, Bill Hybels referenced the significance of the book and the importance of its principles of peacemaking and conflict resolution for individuals as well as churches.

“As a practitioner of peace, he accompanies the poor, the refugees and the victims of war – eliciting from them alternatives to violence,” Burish continued. “His wide-ranging experiences, profound analyses and deep moral imagination have formed the basis for a corpus of writing that has enlightened peace studies scholars and peacebuilders around the globe. He is, in the words of St. Francis of Assisi, ‘an instrument of peace.’” - Tom Burish provost of the University of Notre Dame[8]

Awards and honorary degrees

In 2014 he has received honorary degrees from Conrad Grebel College at the University of Waterloo, St. Paul University in Ottawa.[14]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ "Personnel Directory". Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Lederach, John Paul (1955-) Mennonite Church USA Archives". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 Wright, Walter. "John Paul Lederach: A Peacebuilder Bibliography". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Casciani, Dominic (24 October 2003). "'International flashpoint? I'm on my way'". BBC News Online. Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Narratives of Care: The Social Echo of Community Transformation by John Paul Lederach". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Community of Christ International Peace Award Honor Roll". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Sermon from Willow Creek".
  8. ↑ "Notre Dame Gives Lederach Peacebuilding Award". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "2002 "Keys To Access" Award Presented to John Paul Lederach". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Nicaraguans Honor Lederach for Global Peace Efforts". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Saint John’s awards Mennonite peacebuilder John Paul Lederach its highest honor". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "ND Report: Reinhold Neibuhr Award". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Become a Sponsor at ISA 2014". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  14. ↑ "Lederach to Receive 2 Honorary Degrees, International Studies Association Award". Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.

External links

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