Mark Davidheiser's Page

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

A desire to have a positive impact on others lives, and the impressive ideals and practices of Quakers involved in the field.

See publications and books available list at africapeace.org.

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

Mark Davidheiser is an anthropologist who works in the area of conflict and peace and human development. Much of his work addresses human social responses to crisis, change, conflict, and peacebuilding in Africa and elsewhere. Other research and teaching interests include legal anthropology and legal pluralism and migration and relocation. Dr. Davidheiser links research and scholarship to policy, particularly policymaking and practice in international legal reform, conflict mitigation, and peacebuilding. He has been a trainer and practitioner of conflict resolution and mediation.

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

Africa (esp. Morocco, West Africa, and the Horn), Western Europe, USA

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

USA

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

professor of conflict analysis and resolution, Nova Southeastern U.

How many years professional experience do you have ?

6-10

What is your personal or organizational website?

http://africapeace.org

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://www.beyondintractability.org

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://www.oicd.net

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

Alternative Dispute Resolution, Civil Society, Conflict Resolution, Culture, Development, Dialogue, DDR, Education, Facilitation, Gender, Human Rights, Internally Displaced, Humanitarian Relief, Natural Resources, Peacekeeping, Policing, Refugees, Rule of Law, Social Entreprenuership, Peacebuilding

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

Advocacy, Capacity Building, Communication, Curriculum Development, Evaluation, Monitoring, Program Administration, Program Design, Program Implemenation, Research, Qualitative Skills, Quantitative Skills, Training

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

• International Development, Governance, and Alternative Dispute Resolution: Connections and challenges
• Peacebuilding Interventions in the Global South
• Customary Law and Social Justice: Power and gender issues in dispute processing
• Peacebuilding in settings of protracted violent conflict: Casamance, Senegal
• Analysis and evaluation of legal reform in The Gambia
• Dispute processing, power, gender, and social justice: Qualitative and quantitative data were used to investigate the relative advantages of customary, alternative, and governmental dispute settlement fora for low status Gambians, with a focus on young, rural, and Muslim wives
• Senegambian customary law, social institutions, and conflict prevention and mitigation;

If appropriate feel free to list several of your (or your organization's) publications

Africa Peace & Conflict Network has refereed research papers, briefings, book&film reviews, a podcast, video, and photo-essays at africapeace.org. Quality submissions welcome-see guidelines for authors.

Selected publications of mine:
• “Cooperation and Conflict: A socio-historical view of farmer-Fulbe relations,” with A. Luna. African Journal on Conflict Resolution. 8(1): pp. 77-104, 2008.
• “Race, Worldviews, and Conflict Mediation: Black & White Styles of Conflict revisited.” Peace and Change. 33(1): 60-89, 2008.
• “Governance and Legal Reform in The Gambia and Beyond: An anthropological critique of current development strategies.” Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology Working Paper Series, Paper 93. Halle/Saale, Germany, 2007.
• “Joking for Peace: Social organization, tradition, and change in conflict prevention and resolution.” Cahiers d'Etudes Africaines. XLVI (4), 184: pp. 835-859, 2006.
• “Conflict Mediation and Culture: Lessons from The Gambia.” Peace and Conflict Studies. 13(1): pp. 21-42, 2006.
• “Harmony, Peacemaking, and Power: Controlling processes and African mediation.” Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 23(3): pp. 281-299, 2006.
• “Culture and Mediation: A contemporary processual analysis.” International Journal of Intercultural Relations. 29(6): pp. 713-738, 2005.
See also the Anthropology and Conflict Resolution series of three special issues (Sept., Oct., and Nov. 2007) of Anthropology News that I guest edited.
Relatively complete listing available on CV at shss.nova.edu on my faculty page.