Talk looks at conflict resolution

Conflict challenges people at the deepest level of their belief system and resolving conflict requires creativity and a willingness to examine how meaning is constructed, says Michelle LeBaron, an associate professor at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in Virginia.

LeBaron returns to UVic, where she was director of the multiculturalism and dispute resolution project from 1990 to 1993, to give the presentation, “Bridging Troubled Waters: Conflict Resolution from the Heart,” on June 4 from 12:30–2:30 p.m. in the Centre for Innovative Teaching, room 105.

Bridging Troubled Waters is also the title of LeBaron’s forthcoming book, and she’ll draw on examples from it to explore how sharing stories and participating in rituals can help raise awareness of how we make meaning and can provide opportunities to devise new, shared meanings.

LeBaron is a lawyer and therapist with over 16 years of experience in conflict resolution practice and training. She has designed training and interventions in environmental and public policy, family, intercultural, commercial and workplace conflicts. Her presentation is sponsored by the MA in dispute resolution program in the faculty of human and social development.