Q & A With Kevin Avruch, Ph.D.

Kevin Avruch was the Joan B. Kroc Peace Scholar during Spring 2009. He is professor of Conflict Resolution and Anthropology in the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) at George Mason University, where he previously served as associate director from 2005 to 2008. Avruch has published more than 50 articles and essays and is the author or editor of five books. He is currently investigating sources of political violence in protracted conflicts, the role of truth and reconciliation commissions in post-conflict peacebuilding, and cultural aspects of complex humanitarian and peacekeeping operations. 
 
1. As the second Joan B. Kroc Peace Scholar, you are part of the foundation the School of Peace Studies is building. What do you see as the school’s strengths thus far? 
 
This is a well thought-out program. In taking on his task as founding dean in a considered way – convening groups of scholars and practitioners, looking carefully at other programs, consulting widely in the field and thinking through the overall goals of the M.A. program and the specifics of the shape of the new curriculum – William Headley has been able to articulate clearly the school’s main themes around 
the notion of “human development.” These are human rights, conflict resolution, sustainable development and human security. 
 
The other obvious strength that deserves mention is the two institutes, the IPJ and Trans-Border Institute (TBI), which predate the school. The IPJ – well-established and respected in our field – gives the school an existing window on the world of practice, and TBI offers a link to San Diego’s most important neighbor. 
 
2. The school is launching a revised curriculum in Fall 2009, which will include an internship for students who do not have previous field experience. As the former associate director of the renowned ICAR program, what do you see as the essential components that make up the academic foundation students should have before they go into the field? 
 
Ideally, students – through core and elective coursework – should be familiar with the history and development of the field, its core theories and its best practices. And they definitely should have “hands-on” experience, which an internship can provide. What they need to know most is that the field is changing and developing rapidly, and that few curricula entirely survive more than four or five years – nor should they. Curricula must reflect the demands of best (and ethical) practice. 
 
3. What do you see as your greatest success thus far during your career – whether in the classroom or the field? 
 
My greatest success undoubtedly is my students, both M.S. and Ph.D. graduates, who have gone on in large measure to populate the field. They include both Dean Headley and Assistant Professor Ami Carpenter [in the School of Peace Studies] – quite a chronological jump there! 
 
4. As a veteran in the field of conflict analysis and resolution, where do you see the field going in the next five to 10 years? 
 
I hope to see the field institutionalized in education at all levels, from K-12 (in peace studies curricula and peer-mediation programs) as well as in colleges and universities. I especially hope the field grows in schools outside North America, in places beset by serious conflict where such programs and graduates are most sorely needed. 
 
I also hope that the values of the field get truly institutionalized in the conduct of international relations. In one sense this is already happening, as the established notion of, for instance, “national security” has been supplemented in recent years by the newer idea of “human security,” an idea much closer to the values of our field.