Patricia Maulden's Page

What motivated you (or your organization) to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?

Having seen violence around me, I wanted to understand how it worked. In other words, I wanted to investigate what processes or dynamics lead to individuals including personal and group violence as social action. As I looked into this, I became equally interested in individual choice not to use violence or to adopt nonviolence as individual and group social action, particularly in conditions of uncertainty and instability.

Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself or the work of your organization (no more than 3 paragraphs)

Currently, I hold the position of Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University, working with the undergraduate program. This assignment also includes serving as the Director of the Dialogue and Difference Project on the Fairfax campus. Previously I also taught in the masters program. In addition, I created the online course, Conflict Management, for Freie Universität Berlin, which I continue to tutor.

Primary research interests include generational and gendered dynamics of conflict and peace, social militarization processes, intrastate conflict, transition from war, peace economies, and post-conflict social demilitarization. I have conducted seminars on interpersonal conflict resolution, facilitated intergenerational and interethnic dialogues, and served as a restorative justice practitioner.

Please list the countries and/or regions in which you (or your organization) have direct and significant expertise

My country expertise includes Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Colombia.

What is your current country of residence (or location of your organization)?

United States

What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?

Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution and Director of the Dialogue and Difference Project at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University, Virginia.

Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise (or the primary sectoral areas of your organization) ?

Conflict Resolution, Dialogue, DDR, Education, Facilitation, Gender, Psychosocial, Peacebuilding, Youth

Which are your primary skills areas(or the primary skill areas of your organization)?

Program Design, Research, Training

What are some of your current areas of research (if any)?

I currently research post-conflict peace education in Sierra Leone and Burundi and am looking at the role of NGOs as private peace contractors.