Building Peace in America

Over the last few years, public discourse and a number of events reveal the escalation of a pernicious “us-versus-them” ideology in the U.S., in which calls to restore America’s greatness are increasingly accompanied by language dehumanizing minority groups, including racial, religious and ethnic groups as well as immigrant communities.

The book is motivated by our continued recognition of systems of structural violence and injustice, which are linked to longstanding systems of racism, social marginalization, xenophobia, poverty, and inequality in all forms. These deeply rooted and structural conflicts in the U.S. have no easy solutions, and the destructive nature of today’s conflicts in America threaten to impede efforts to build peace, promote justice, and inspire constructive social change. While conditions vary across the country and for different groups, and protests have generally remained peaceful thus far, the possibility of inter-group violence is not the only concern for the peacebuilding community; the violation of the civil and human rights of vulnerable groups, both minority communities as well as the very poor in general, also present serious threats both to American democracy and core conceptions of justice.

The primary objective of this volume is to illustrate an architecture for peace in the United States. The volume represents the first step in such a creation, with the potential for developing policy recommendations that foster pro-social values. We bring together a diverse group of scholars, conflict resolution practitioners, community peacebuilders, civil society leaders and faith leaders who are committed to pro-social change in America. Collectively, we will examine how best to deescalate the destructive public rhetoric, undermine the “us versus them” polarity, and support pro-social voices for positive change. Together, this volume will share experiences and perspectives on America’s current situation, develop a vision for how we can collectively respond in our communities, campuses, and congregations, and catalyze future partnerships, collaboration, and action.