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Conflict Transformation: A Vital Issue of our Day

In an increasingly fractured world, Middlebury has made a commitment to serve as an incubator for research, teaching, and student experiences to address divisiveness in society. Working with more than 100 partner institutions in the United States and around the world, Middlebury is working to embed principles and practices of conflict transformation in the liberal arts from high school to graduate school.

What is Conflict Transformation?

We asked our students.

Conflict is part of the human experience.

Many of us hear the word conflict and think of the stress and harm of “us versus them” dynamics, what Amanda Ripley calls high conflict. This sort of conflict can destroy relationships and communities; other forms of conflict, however, are not just essential but desirable. As John Paul Lederach describes, conflict can be a gift. Conflict helps keep relationships and social structures honest, alive, and responsive to human needs and aspirations.

For scholars, the field of conflict transformation (CT) explores how destructive conflicts can change and become relatively constructive. Importantly, it also involves the study of how people conduct themselves to foster such changes (Kriesberg 2009). The transformations that emerge might happen at the personal level (a change of heart), the structural level (a change in power), or somewhere in between.

As an area of practice, conflict transformation encompasses a wide array of work, from mindfulness and interpersonal relationships to international mediation and peacebuilding. We can each participate in conflict transformation if we start in the places we already inhabit.

The Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation seeks to learn lessons from this vast community that can be adapted to the issues and questions that are most pressing for Middlebury. The work we do—at the College, the Middlebury Institute, Bread Loaf, and Schools Abroad—will help build new networks and expand our ability to transform the world around us.

  • Community Hours

    Come visit the Conflict Transformation Collaborative offices during Community Hours, Mondays 2-4 pm. Free snacks and drinks, good wifi, a growing library, and conversation with great CT interns and staff! We are in Marbleworks 203 (152 Maple Street).

    Middlebury College

    Open to the Public
  • Addressing Misinformation amid Polarization: Good Talks 2024

    How do we manage high levels of misinformation and polarization when we talk about politics? Leading economics journalist Adam Davidson (Planet Money, New Yorker, New York Times Magazine) will offer an overview of the challenges and his own experiences. Attendees will then join structured small group discussions, followed by a plenary Q&A.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public
  • Community Hours

    Come visit the Conflict Transformation Collaborative offices during Community Hours, Mondays 2-4 pm. Free snacks and drinks, good wifi, a growing library, and conversation with great CT interns and staff! We are in Marbleworks 203 (152 Maple Street).

    Middlebury College

    Open to the Public