Author Archives: alexajamison

Can Peace Be A Profession

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Careers | Fine Arts Humanities & Social Sciences | UMass Lowell

Multiple ways one could use peace as a profession.

Beginning my journey as a peace studies major, I imagined my future profession in peace to revolve around peacebuilding internationally, within the UN, or in the government. After studying peace for the past four years, I have discovered that a profession in peace is possible through multiple avenues, such as internationally and locally, through government, nonprofits, or combating social justice issues. Another avenue I discovered in my past class on mediation showed peace as a profession can occur on a small scale by dealing with interpersonal disputes between two parties. Mediation demonstrates how one can apply peace studies to multiple careers because conflict arises in many avenues where creative problem-solving, effective communication, and resolving conflict nonviolently are essential.

 

For my own interests in peace studies, I would like to contribute to the fight against human trafficking and the rehabilitation of survivors. There are multiple organizations where one could take a role in fighting against human trafficking, such as Amnesty International, Polaris, Mercy Corps, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, and the International Justice Mission. Even a peace professional in combatting human trafficking can have many avenues, such as victim support and engaging in more emotional support with trauma-informed care for survivors to help cope with the aftermath. Other avenues could focus on each individual’s needs, such as developing plans to address their physical, legal, mental, and social needs, including shelter, medical care, counseling, legal aid, and educational opportunities. Another avenue can focus on advocacy and raising public awareness, such as outreach efforts, workshops, training sessions, and community events or advocating for policies and legislation that improve services for survivors and address the root causes of human trafficking. Lastly, one could be more crisis intervention, possibly with law enforcement, to provide immediate assistance to rescue survivors. 

HUMAN TRAFFICKING: Force, Fraud and Coercion | Amnesty International USA

A panel discussion of Human Trafficking by Amnesty International supported by multiple organizations.

Collaboration is also essential to combat human trafficking, where a profession in peace can be found in every aspect, such as mental health providers, domestic violence organizations, shelter organizations, social workers, and healthcare providers. In a more governmental approach, the U.S. Department of Justice has a considerable role in detecting and investigating human trafficking. They collaborate with the Office for Victims of Crime through The Enhanced Collaborative Model Human Trafficking Program, which develops and enhances human trafficking task forces to identify victims of sex and labor trafficking and ensure they have the right services with the collaboration of victim and social service providers, law enforcement and prosecution forces, and a range of governmental and non-governmental workers. The U.S. Department of Justice also assists the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, which helps law enforcement agencies investigate Internet crimes against children. Another crucial player in combating human trafficking is the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces, which recovers survivors and investigates traffickers. Even through the government, there are multiple peace career options to combat human trafficking. 

Ultimately, a peace profession is possible with multiple career paths engaging in problem-solving and resolving conflict. For my own interest, there are a variety of peace professions in preventing and combating human trafficking as well as rehabilitation of survivors. 

 

Interview with a Peace & Justice Professional: Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig

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Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig — CIEL Center for International Experiential Learning

Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig

I was very grateful to interview an old professor of mine, Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of California, Irvine, and taught Conflict Analysis and Resolution at UCI. His doctoral work consisted of studying Israeli-Palestine and Northern Ireland comparatively, focusing on citizen involvement in the peace processes. He is also a founder of the Center for International Experience Learning (CIEL), where he traveled over a dozen times to the Middle East, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Columbia, and Northern Ireland. With his vast knowledge and connections in peace work, Dr. Wehrenfenning was very helpful in demonstrating potential careers in peace and justice. CIEL Center for International Experiential Learning

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Dr. Daniel Wehrenfennig teaching students in the Middle East through CIEL

 

I first asked him what advice he would give to a graduate with a Peace Studies degree. He said the student should figure out which of three avenues to follow. One avenue is the more traditional one, working as an official diplomatic in the government, State Department, the UN, or the Peacecorp. Dr. Wehrenfenning says joining Peacecorp can be advantageous if you follow future governmental work, and as you have demonstrated, you can survive and thrive in that environment. Another avenue is working internationally in non-governmental and non-profit programs like the Red Cross. There can be more formalized tracks, such as getting an internship and working your way up. One could also work on refugee crises and women’s rights through this avenue. The last avenue would be national and local work, applying peace studies to issues such as racial equity, homelessness, or mediation. Dr. Wehrenfenning says this could be a non-profit or city government applying peace studies to local problems.

While navigating these different avenues, I asked Dr. Wehrenfenning the pros and cons of working with the government vs a non-profit. A governmental job gives you a more formalized direction with job security, but it will take a few years to work your way up to start working on your interest. However, Dr. Wehrenfenning explains that working with the government may lead to difficulties in finding jobs for non-profits due to critical attitudes. In contrast, non-profit work may be impact-based with more independence, but the pay will be less secure, and there will be fewer benefits. 

Next, we discussed how one should navigate getting a Ph.D. or master’s and if there are enough opportunities without one. Dr. Wehrenfenning explained you should get into the workforce and discover what field you want to join, what interests you, and what else you need to learn before earning a master’s. Dr. Wehrenfenning also explained that a Ph.D. may push employers away as they may think you are overqualified, but it is helpful when an organization needs an expert. 

Lastly, Dr. Wehrenfenning emphasized resilience is crucial to success in a peace and justice career. To be resilient, you must manage expectations, pay your dues, and understand that getting where you want may take a few years. He emphasized that getting involved, attending events, and networking are crucial to growth in a career in peace and justice. 

One takeaway that most surprised me about a career in peace and justice was Dr. Wehrenfenning’s advice to get into the workforce before earning a master’s or Ph.D. I was surprised because I was under the impression that one must go straight from college to grad school, but his advice is crucial to discovering what field interests me and then learning the necessities to help one grow in that career. Another takeaway that surprised me was the importance of self-starting and the helpfulness of networking. Dr. Wehrenfenning emphasized that attending events, shaking heads, and networking are crucial ways to get your foot in the door.  

Reflection on “Shared Humanity: Conversations between Jews and Palestinians for a Better Tomorrow”

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The Israel-Palestine conflict has become one I followed closely while studying peacebuilding in college. Following the events of October 7th, the conflict has escalated to a massive humanitarian crisis and possible genocide. Following the crisis through social media and news sources, the conflict affects much more than just those in the Middle East, as violence is being reported in America from both sides. Watching the atrocities occur and feeling helpless in the situation, I was excited to hear professionals from both sides explain the situation. 

I’m glad the two speakers came from different backgrounds, as Mira Sucharov is Jewish and Canadian with emotional ties to Israel. At the same time, Omar Dajani is an American-born Palestinian whose father fled the country after Israeli occupation. These professionals create a good dynamic to discuss the conflict as they work together to understand each other’s perspectives. 

Since my thesis is on how social media plays a role in the Israel and Palestine conflict, I really enjoyed hearing their discussion of Facebook posts. I was surprised their relationship began with Mira reposting an article by Omar and defending him to her followers. They may have never met without social media, demonstrating how social media produces intergroup dialogue and connections. Furthermore, in their discussion of social media, they explained how their different narratives of the conflict lead to different reactions to media posts. Such as an article about sexual violence among Israelis on October 7th, Mira’s reaction was disgust and fear of the violence while dealing with rape denial in her comments. However, Omar had a very different reaction as he worried these events would lead to further dehumanization of Palestinians as a whole, which would lead to more violence against the community. Using narrative theory, their perspectives and experiences will lead to different reactions to given information due to their fears and concerns. Such as Mira is a Jewish woman who fears this violence is being put on her community due to their identities. At the same time, Omar is in denial of the information at first because he fears how the information will lead to further dehumanization of Palestinians. 

They continue their discussion of narratives by discussing terms like “Zionism” and sayings like “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” They addressed a misinterpretation of the slogan and Zionism, as both are seen as the destruction of the others. One of Mira’s students heard that “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and something along the lines of “deaths to Jews.” However, Omar argues the slogan is fighting for Palestinians’ right to be free. Similarly, Mira was unaware of how many Palestinians view Zionism as the destruction of Palestinians, as it is multifaceted with different understandings and meanings revolving around support of a Jewish homeland. Mira and Omar demonstrate how their narratives lead to varying interpretations of terms and slogans. They highlighted the difficulty of peacebuilding and standing up for their beliefs while honoring other emotions and fears. 

Although I enjoyed the talk, I wish they had discussed how we can help the humanitarian crisis or the future. I was also surprised that Omar said we do not need more intergroup dialogue, as it leads nowhere. I wish I had heard more of his thoughts on intergroup dialogue and if he thinks the situation should be fixed by a third party or just Palestinians and Israelis. Overall, this event was informative on how narratives affect interpretations and can lead to further polarization and violence.