The Facilitators
Simona Sharoni
I grew up and lived most of my life in the Middle East and my career path, experiences and interest reflect the impact the Palestinian-Israeli conflict had on my life. In the fall of 1989, I arrived in the United States from Israel and enrolled in the Ph.D program at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, which at the time was the only academic institution offering a degree in this field. Like many other activists in different parts of the world, I thought that pursuing a doctorate degree would allow me to reflect on the work I have been involved in, both in dialogue and reconciliation between Palestinians and Jews and in the women's peace movement in Israel.
Against the backdrop of the Palestinian uprising, known as the intifada, which erupted in 1987, I studied theories of conflict and models designed to resolve them. The process was fairly frustrating. The theories seemed too general and abstract and, like my fellow students who came from other conflict-torn regions, I was put off by attempts to use a one-size-fits-all model for conflicts that seem to have very unique histories and dynamics. Two other things, which I struggled with in the course of my graduate studies, were the privileging of official diplomacy and the lack of attention to women and gender issues in both theory and practice. Notwithstanding my frustration at the time, in retrospect, it seems that graduate school did have a very positive impact on my development as a scholar-activist. I identified areas that I feel strongly about and that have not been adequately addressed in the existing bodies of literature on peace and conflict resolution.
My frustration with traditional academia prompted me to step up my activism. Over the past decade I have been involved in solidarity work with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and with progressive Israelis who struggle to turn Israel into a state of all its citizens. I have also been involved in media and advocacy work in the United States, including US foreign policy in the Middle East and its devastating implications. In the past two years, I have become increasingly interested and involved in conflict transformation and peacebuilding efforts in the North of Ireland, especially at the grassroots level. At times, I cannot avoid comparing the political developments and my own experience in Israel-Palestine with that in the North of Ireland. Still, I remain aware of the unique characteristics of each situation. Two issues have been of particular concern to me as I continue to immerse myself in the lives and struggles of people in these two regions: the interplay of gender, conflict and peacebuilding and the politics of funding at the grassroots level.
I have been involved with IUPIP since 1994 when I was first invited to be one of the lecturers on women and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Subsequently, I was invited to facilitate the first week of the international course, which I have done for three years (1995, 1996, 1997). I had to miss the past two years due to scheduling conflicts but I very much look forward to this year’s course.
I am currently teaching at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington (in the Northwest corner of the United States). Evergreen is one of the few remaining progressive schools in the United States, both politically and pedagogically. I also serve as the Executive Director of the Consortium on Peace Research, Education & Development (COPRED), an umbrella organization which brings together activists, K-12 teachers and university professors and students to address key peace and justice issues.
On a more personal note, my partner and I are expecting a baby in November.