Weatherhead Research Cluster on Identity Politics
This fall, the Weatherhead Research Cluster on Identity Politics launched with a series of invigorating and thought-provoking events. Chaired by Center Director Melani Cammett, the cluster aims to explore ways to improve intergroup relations in postconflict countries by bringing together a multigenerational cohort of Harvard and global scholars and practitioners. Cammett hopes to create a vibrant intellectual community centered around the topic of ethnic and religious politics and conflict, and thus far, it has been.
The cluster recently granted ten graduate students research funding to provide a forum in which the students could workshop upcoming academic work. This twice-per-semester workshop allows students to join cluster affiliates and colleagues across departments to share their published and in-progress work. At the first workshop on October 3 of this year, graduate student Hansong Li joined cluster affiliates Feyaad Allie and Engy Said, and each shared their current research. The discussants presented on a variety of topics from marginalized minorities rising in power in India to analyzing intercommunal relations through the intercultural dimensions of “love literature” to state-citizen relations, using Lebanon as a case.
Later that week, on October 5 and 6, the cluster hosted its inaugural annual conference on “Intergroup Relations after Violent Conflict: Insights from Research and Practice.” The conference brought together nearly thirty influential scholars and practitioners who design, study, and/or implement interventions to improve intergroup relations after violent conflict. The two days were filled with lively intellectual discussions and collaboration centered around varying levels of analysis, ranging from the micro-level contact theory to macro-level discussions of the impactful role of social actors.
Additionally, the cluster cosponsored two Weatherhead events, “Militants to Peacemakers: A Conversation from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Lebanon,” where Cammett moderated conversations with veterans from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Lebanon who have dedicated themselves to peacebuilding in their regions after ethnic conflict, and “Peacebuilding: A Matter of Trust (and the Benefits of a Bowl of Soup),” a special event featuring Peter Sheridan, who reflected on the importance of building trust after violent conflict.
The inaugural semester of the cluster wrapped up with a special lecture on November 7 delivered by Professor Ben Kaplan of University College London, discussing freedom of conscience in early modern Europe and the second student workshop on November 28, featuring graduate students Nate Grau, Mitsuru Mukaigawara, and Cat O’Donnell.
This is just the beginning, as Cammett hopes to construct and maintain a global scholars network of key players in a variety of disciplines to conceptualize the rise and potential decline of extreme identity politics in various milieus. Stay in touch by visiting the identity politics research cluster website to subscribe to our newsletter.
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The cluster hosted its inaugural annual conference titled “Intergroup Relations after Violent Conflict: Insights from Research and Practice” on October 5 and 6. Credit: Maximillian Calleo