Conflict Resolution Conflict Mediation Session

Faculty in the Conflict Resolution program conduct research relating to peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and trauma. Current research projects include:

Creative Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation (CPACT) Lab

The Creative Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation Lab (CPACT), led by Dr. Mehmet Yavuz, is studying ways to promote peacebuilding, conflict transformation, reconciliation, and mediation. Students interested in developing research and praxis skills are welcome to join Dr. Yavuz’s lab as volunteers or paid research assistants (contingent on funding availability).

CPACT is specifically interested in:

  • Mobilizing communities to address issues in peaceful, transformative, and sustainable ways.
  • Examining the impacts of conflict on marginalized groups during and after periods of conflict.
  • Studying ethnic conflict and interethnic group conflicts.
  • Exploring Queer peacebuilding frameworks and their role in conflict transformation.
  • Studying rural queer activism and peacebuilding efforts.
  • Designing and implementing cultural and artistic interventions in peacebuilding, including storytelling, photovoice, and photo peace journalism.
  • Integrating Indigenous knowledge into reconciliation and peace processes.
  • Exploring youth participation in peacebuilding.
  • Understanding the effects of intergenerational trauma in post-conflict contexts.

Dr. Yavuz’s current research projects focus on rural pride activism, queer peacebuilding, ethnic reconciliation, refugee experiences, and Media Peace Archives and the Yugoslav War.

These include:

Imagining the Balkans from Afar: Media, Peace Archives, and the Yugoslav Wars

This project examines how the Balkans, particularly during the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the Bosnian War of the 1990s, were interpreted, represented, and understood within the United States. It investigates how knowledge about the region was constructed in the U.S. public discourse, including media coverage and its circulation through peace organizations and archival collections.

Exploratory Study on LGBTQIA+ Peace Activism and Struggles in Manhattan

This study, supported by a Peace and Justice Studies Association mini grant, explores the experiences and perceptions of queer individuals living in Manhattan, Kansas. The study’s goal is to deepen understanding of queer perspectives and help improve conditions for the community by examining the local Pride event.

Documenting Afghan Refugee Resettlement and Community Integration in Manhattan, Kansas

The study explores the everyday experiences, achievements, and challenges of Afghan individuals as they navigate integration. By documenting Afghan lived experiences, the project better understands refugee experiences and strengthens community understanding of refugee integration in Manhattan, highlighting both strengths and areas for growth within local resettlement efforts.

Queer Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

This study investigates how LGBTQIA+ Bosniaks/Serbs/Croats navigate life in post-peace accord Bosnia while engaging in peace activism to be more visible in the public and political contexts. The study aims to bring an interdisciplinary perspective through understanding the Bosnian conflict with a queer lens.

Research Faculty:

Mehmet Yavuz, Assistant Professor, Conflict Resolution

For more information or if you are interested in joining the lab, please email Dr. Yavuz.