Working for Peace in Iraq

July 21, 2009 - This spring, Thomas Hill found himself in Iraq, teaching a course in conflict management in a brand-new master's program in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Dohuk.

Says Hill, "Dohuk University is now the only university in Iraq with such a program, and the four current students will become the first Iraqis to earn degrees in this subject in their home country."

Currently a doctoral student in GSE's Education, Culture and Society program, Hill got his introduction to Iraq — and to the field of peace studies — as a master's student in Columbia University’s International and Public Affairs program. There, he focused on conflict resolution and became involved in a limited-scope project working with Iraqi Kurdish academics and government officials.

He made his first field visit to the country in 2003 and has returned 18 times since then to oversee the design and implementation of a series of research and educational projects aimed at developing sustainable peace.

"Right now, I'm working with the Iraqi Peace Foundation, a network of about 70 Iraqis, most of them in higher ed, who are interested in teaching and research about peace and conflict. There are more than half a dozen universities represented in the Foundation, but the only program that's been institutionalized is Dohuk's," he explains.

In partnership with the UN-Mandated University for Peace program, Dohuk just launched its new program in the 2008-09 academic year. According to Hill, that represents a big step in formalizing the field of study in universities throughout Iraq. "Until now, the effort has been largely ad hoc. Just having a couple of Americans parachuting in to deliver short workshops isn't a sustainable model. We want to build on local capacity. Most of professors here would like to see the Ministry of Higher Education establish Peace and Conflict Studies as a formal field of study."

That might well put the Iraqi academic community one step ahead of their American colleagues. Peace and Conflict Studies emerged in post-war Europe and, although it gained some traction during the 1960s and 70s, remains a fairly small field in the U.S. Says Hill, "We've had conflict and war studies for a long time, and how far has that gotten us? This can't be our only conception of conflict, and universities can play a huge role — not just as spaces for activism but to promote a new way of thinking internationally."

Today, masters programs are popping up — at Brandeis, Georgetown, George Mason, Notre Dame, the University of San Diego — but doctoral programs are still few and far between. "One of the problems," Hill explains, "is that this is an interdisciplinary field. My studies cut across sociology, anthropology, history, education. Typical Ph.D. programs wouldn't allow me to do that. I'm really fortunate to have found GSE's program. When I described what I wanted to do to Kathy Hall [a faculty member in GSE's Education, Culture and Society program], she was really excited."

As he gears up for his dissertation, Hill will be drawing on his experiences in the field to examine how universities and the entire system of higher education can play a constructive role in building peace in Iraqi society.

"Teaching this course has given me greater insight into one possible role that the higher education system in Iraq could play in peace-building," he explains. "The four trailblazing students in my class seem to have a clear understanding that they will need to use the knowledge gained from this program to begin to shift thinking in their communities away from violent responses to conflict and toward peaceful approaches that can harness the constructive energy of conflict.

"They received a bit of encouragement when Ali, a long-time colleague and friend, came to speak. Ali completed a master's degree last year in peace and conflict studies [at Coventry University in the U.K.] and is considering the possibility of pursuing a Ph.D. He explained to my students the importance of their participation in the new master’s program. The types of workshops that my Columbia colleagues and I have conducted here by the dozens over the past six years have only limited impact, he argued, while standing university programs will have a much better chance to exert long-term societal influence.

"Hopefully he is right."