Justpeace Ethics: A Guide to Restorative Justice and Peacebuilding

by Jarem Sawatsky

This book is an enormously valuable contribution to thinking about doing justice and building peace. . . .an immensely practical guide to those seeking to build peace and justice.
Professor Gerry Johnstone, author of Restorative Ideas, Values, Debates
This is a must-read for conflict resolution academics and practitioners.
Neil Funk-Unrau, Conflict Resolution Studies, Menno Simons College, Canadian Mennonite University            
NEED HELP RESPONDING TO A HARM, CONFLICT OR INJUSTICE?

People too often enter into conflict with an eye on how to resolve, manage, or transform it, thereby losing sight of the people involved and the end desired. Justice and peace too often serve as abstract ideals or distant shores. We have not yet learned enough about how these ends can also be the means of conflict resolution. Drawing on the imaginations of some leading peace and restorative justice practitioners, Justpeace Ethics identifies components of a justpeace imagination--the basis of an alternative way of being in the midst of harm and injustice, where the end is touched with each step.

In this simple guidebook Jarem Sawatsky helps those struggling with how to respond to conflict and violence in both just and peaceful ways. He offers practical examples of how analysis, intervention, and evaluation can be rooted in a justpeace imagination.

Genres: Social Justice

114 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Jarem Sawatsky, Ph.D., is the National Bestselling author/ co-author of 5 books, including the award-winning Dancing with Elephants. He is internationally known for his work as peacebuilder, and teacher working to bring an engaged mindfulness to those interested in wellness, resilience, and transformation. He is Professor Emeritus of Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies at Canadian Mennonite University.

Since being diagnosed with a terminal disease, he has been stumbling his way (literally) into finding more healing and joyful ways to live. His most recent book is the National Bestselling and award-winning “Dancing with Elephants.”

Even though he has holes in his brain (yes, literally), his work has been celebrated by authors who have sold over a million copies such as Lucy Kalanithi and Peter V. Rabins, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates like Jody Williams and Mairead Maguire, New York Times Bestsellers like Sharon Salzberg and Jen Mann, National Bestselling authors like Jon Kabat-Zinn, Margaret Wheatley and Jean Vanier, and even a well-known clown, Patch Adams.

If you would like a free copy of A More Healing Way – Vol 2 in his award-winning How to Die Smiling Series (a 4-hour video and audio series), go to www.jaremsawatsky.com/more-healing/.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little heady for me but there were some ideas that resonated. I appreciated the discussion of co-opting of indigenous practice as specifically using those practices on indigenous people as a form of control and continual harm. I also like the idea that the work is not really about developing specific programs that should be universally adopted or applied but that the whole concept of restorative is, by its nature, going to be organic and co-created processes that fit the needs of the moment and the people involved. Finally, the brief mention of the palaver that led to the combination of justice studies and peace studies at EMU made be think of the current state of restorative practices in higher education and the potential for some type of process to bring together many differing views and perspectives about the work to create understanding and address any harms that have been and continue to be caused.