Presenter(s): Cassidy Kenney
Co Presenter(s): Meredith Gusky
Faculty Mentor(s): William Johnson
Oral Session 1 C
Introductory Sentences: Our research studied the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, and the subsequent tensions inherent in peaceful rebuilding and international human rights practices. Our research examined the role of art in peace building, religion in peace building, and public perception toward refugees.
Research Question: How have peace and human rights mechanisms transformed society in the Western Balkans?
Methods: Students conducted qualitative research through interviewing citizens, experts, leaders and activists and by attending museum exhibits, sites of memorial, places of worship, and political and legal organizations. The research was conducted over a four-week period following two five-week long courses on these subjects.
Key findings: Our key findings include a realization that the abstract aims of most religious communities inherently build peace, that art is a powerful healing mechanisms, and that refugee policy and perception in the Balkans continues to be impacted by the conflicts of the 1990s. Because our areas of research varied in discipline and many of the human rights mechanisms continue to evolve today, much of our research is incomplete and only represents the time frame from July 2018 to now. Despite the constant evolution and limited scope of the research, it is essential in creating a larger understanding of human rights and peace-building mechanisms, their successes and shortcomings.
Significance: Our research offers pieces of a complex and growing narrative of the Western Balkans and analyzes the ways in which human rights and peace mechanisms can be improved upon now and in the future.