ABOUT US

This is a student organization run by graduate students and facilitated by faculty members. Dr. John P. Linstroth is the chair and principal advisor.

Graduate students and faculty members will be able to present papers on a variety of topics related to Culture and Conflict of their choosing at Residential Institute Training. Also, meetings will be held once or twice a term to discuss issues and organize conferences.

The idea is to provide a forum for graduate students to be able to debate and discuss important issues in relation to culture and conflict.

Possible topics to explore are: Social Movements and Minority Rights, Ethno-nationalist Movements, Issues of Protracted Conflict, Immigration and Identity, etc.

Possible areas to discuss are: Palestinian/Israeli conflict, Basque conflict, Zapatista movement, the Balkans, Fijian conflict, Sri Lanka etc.

OUR MEMBERS

Dr. J. P. Linstroth

Chair Culture and Conflict Group

Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution and Anthropology

D.Phil. in Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, UK, 2002

John can be reached at linstrot[at]nova.edu

Click here for more information and John's biography.

Dr. Hamdesa Tuso

Affiliated Faculty Culture and Conflict Group

Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution and Sociology
Ph.D. in Sociology

Hamdesa can be reached at tuso[at]nova.edu

Click here for more information and Hamdesa's biography.

Dr. Sam Elizabeth Baroni

Affiliated Faculty Culture and Conflict Group

Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution and International Studies
Ph.D. in Comparative Studies

Sam can be reached at sbaroni[at]nsu.nova.edu

Click here for more information and Sam's biography.

Patrick Hiller

Biography:

Patrick Hiller holds an M.A. in Human Geography from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. Patrick currently is a Doctoral Candidate at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Nova Southeastern University. He is a co-investigator of an ongoing international study on ethnicity and sense of belonging among refugee and immigrant populations in the United States and Germany. Following an interdisciplinary approach, his work and research interests encompass conflict resolution, peace studies, ethnicity, human rights, nationalism, social justice, Mexico, Latin America, social/peace movements, identity formation, culture and conflict and migration. He is skilled in web programming, grant writing, and research design (particulary qualitiative studies). He has experience working with NGOs that promote social justice in Mexico.

Patrick can be reached at philler[at]nova.edu

Paloma Ayala Vela

Biography:

Hi, my name is Paloma. I have a Masters degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University, Florida. I am originally from Mexico and I have worked for the organization Colectivo Gandhiano ‘Pensar en Voz Alta’ SERPAJ-Mexico (Service Peace & Justice) since 1997. My group introduced me to a different journey that changed my destiny. I have a bachelor in graphic design from La Salle Cuernavaca University. From the time I got involved wiith my group I was able to participate in the civil camps for peace in Zapatista communities in the state of Chiapas. My group and I started painting churches as well as few murals. Later on we were invited by the authorities to be part of education workshops. I have also been able to participate as designer and researcher of the exhibitions “Gandhi: Encuentros con la Verdad” (1998), “La Paz tras el Cerco” (2000) and “Atenco Libre” (2006). The experiences I have had have taught me to not just close my eyes and ears and pretend that ‘nothing is happening’. That is why I am deeply interested in the masters I am doing, perhaps my little contribution can make our world a little better.

Paloma can be reached at payala[at]nova.edu

Nia I. Cantey

Biography:

Nia Cantey holds a Master’s of Social Work from Florida State University and a B.S. in Psychology with Certification in Human Resources Management from Florida A&M University.  She is currently a PhD candidate in the Conflict Analysis and Resolution program at Nova Southeastern University.  She currently works as a Quality Assurance Program Manager under Integrated Family Support with the Division of Public Health in Atlanta, GA. Nia has worked in the field of child welfare services for over five years in both FL and GA.  Nia has worked as an adjunct  professor teaching Research Methodology, Social Welfare Policy, and Crisis Intervention. Nia has written papers in the area of foster care continuity, foster care and gay adoptions, and ethnic and national dilemmas for Black Americans.

Her research interests include: gender studies, queer theory, critical race theory with=2 0a focus on intersectionality, feminist theory, culture conflict and black women, ethnic and nationalism conflict, child welfare reform, qualitative research particularly narratives and phenomenological research.

Nia can be reached at cantey[at]nova.edu

Yanira Alemán

Biography:

Yanira Alemán holds a J.D. and a BA in Psychology. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Conflict Analysis and Resolution program at Nova Southeastern University. She has been teaching in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez since January 2003. Some of the courses she has taught are Social and Psychological Aspects of Gender, Research and Bibliography in the Social Sciences, Criminal Law, and Introduction to Social Sciences.

Her research interests include: social and cultural aspects of law, gender, nationalisms, violence, peace processes, fatherhoods, cultures and conflict, terrorism, feminism, masculinities, memory and conflict, embodied aspects of terror, and globalization, among others.  She favors an interdisciplinary approach to the study of conflict, along with qualitative research methods; particularly ethnographic research. 

Yanira can be reached at alemanto[at]nova.edu

Cristina Andriani

Biography:

My name is Cristina Andriani and I am a Doctoral Candidate in the Conflict Analysis and Resolution Program in the school of Humanities and Social Sciences at Nova Southeastern University. I have a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, and am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida. I am a trauma disorder specialist, and work largely with people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Dissociative Identity Disroder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder), as a result of sexual, physical, emotional, or ritual abuse. I have also been involved in research with Dr. Julia Chaitin doing life story interviews with Palestinians and Israelis who have moved from their homelands and resettled in the United States and to gain knowledge into their understandings of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. My interests include intra-personal conflict and its impact on larger scale conflicts and identity, and how to bring conflict resolution and psychology based theories closer together so as to create a deeper understanding of conlfict and ways to resolve it.

Cristina can be reached at dragon31676[at]comcast.net

Jacqueline N. Font-Guzmán

Biography:

Jacqueline N. Font-Guzmán is Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska.

Jacqueline has a B.A. from Coe College, a Master in Health Care Administration from Saint Louis University, and her law degree summa cum laude from the Interamericana University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University. Jackie is an experienced mediator, attorney, and healthcare administrator. She has actively participated in the field of conflict resolution through national and international conferences and workshops, and has conducted a wide variety of trainings and seminars in the field, particularly in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Jackie’s areas of interest are dispute resolution in the healthcare field, post-colonial conflicts, theories of ethnicity and nationalism, terrorism, the application of complex adaptive system theory to conflict resolution, education of reflective practitioners, legal and medical anthropology, bioethics and conflict resolution, disconnection between theory and practice, cross-cultural perspectives on conflict resolution, and relationship between culture and oppression.

Jackie can be reached at jnfont[at]creighton.edu

Tami Rafidi

Biography:

My Name is Tami Rafidi. I am from Palestine. Currently I am a Fulbright Scholar at the PhD program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Nova Southeastern University. I was granted a Bachelors in English Language and Literature and a Masters degree in International Relations form Birzeit University in Occupied Palestine. My major interest is the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict in addition to regional conflicts in the Middle East. I am interested in this field in specific because I experienced the hardships of living in conflict and living under occupation and I need to be a catalyst for change and spare my people the pain they are living in. I worked at the Women's Affairs Technical Committe, an NGO in Palestine working for the establishment of a democratic society free from all forms of discrimination against women for seven years. And during my PhD study I managed two internships with the Palestinian Peace coalition/ Geneva Initiative in 2006 that aims at influencing the public opinion through capacity building programs and activities in the West Bank and Gaza. Raising the awareness of the local community is a very essential factor in revitalizing the notion of a two-state solution based on the parameters of the Geneva Accord and another one with Ta'awon Conflict Resolution Institute in 2007 which aims at raising the awareness of young Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza on peaceful ways to resolve conflict and develop understanding, respect, and the ability to cooperate with others in a multicultural world. It Imparts ethical, moral, and philosophical insights into the process of creating peaceful social change. Taʼawon also focuses its work on integrating concepts of mediation, conflict resolution and peace education in all aspects of youth lives.  

Tami can be reached at:

rafidi[at]nsu.nova.edu

Jacques Koko

Biography:

Jacques Koko is an Adjunct Professor at the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations (Seton Hall University) where he teaches “Peacemaking and Peacekeeping”, “Conflict and Displacement in Africa”, “Ethnopolitical conflict” and “The International Relations of African States”. Native of Benin, he is a practitioner of conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Africa where he has gained field experiences through workshops and training in several countries. Previously, he worked as a Senior Social Analyst with the Institut Africain pour le Développement Economique et Social (INADES) in Abidjan (Ivory Coast). He also served as an Associate Researcher with the Université Nationale d’Abomey Calavi in Cotonou (Benin). Correlatively with his teaching position at Seton Hall University, he currently serves as a Senior Political Analyst for Americans for Informed Democracy. His work and research interests encompass democracy in Africa, the national conference, the circulation of small weapons in Africa, peacekeeping, peacemaking, peacebuilding, culture and conflict, and local capacity building. He publishes in English and French. Jacques is completing a Ph.D. degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University (Florida) with a focus on the determinants of success in UN peacekeeping. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Philosophy and a Master of Arts in Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding (Eastern Mennonite University - Virginia).

Jacques can be reached at koko[at]nova.edu

Robin Cooper

Biography:

Hi, my name is Robin, and I am a doctoral student in the Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University with a concentration in Culture and Ethnic Conflict.  I practice narrative research and am also exploring uses of social cartography in phenomenological research.  I am an adjunct professor in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Nova’s Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences on subjects related to culture and conflict and have presented at academic conferences on topics related to agency and structural violence; belonging, culture, and collective identity; and state terror.  My areas of interest for research include belonging and civic engagement among immigrant populations, social control of women and minorities, gender and nationalism, and evolving notions of ethnic identity. 

Robin can be reached at robicoop[at]nova.edu

Bobby Huen

Biography:

Bobby K. Huen is a scholar in the fields of international relations and conflict resolution. After graduating from Boston University with a Master of Arts degree in International Relations and International Communications, Bobby is continuing his education at Nova Southeastern University, where he is earning doctorate in conflict analysis and resolution. As a student of international relations, Bobby's primary field of interest is Euro-American relations and the use of public diplomacy as a method to resolve international conflicts. He has presented work on this subject at academic conferences.

In addition, Bobby is also interested in issues involving gay and lesbian rights, gender issues, European history, nationalism, and cultural conflicts. Currently, he is developing new models of conflict resolution for asynchronistic online environments. Bobby works with the Office of Student Affairs as a mediator and trainer for its peer-to-peer conflict resolution program. He also works on campus as a teaching assistant.

bobby can be reached at bhuen[at]nova.edu

Alison Hall

Biography:

Alison Hall is a PhD student in the Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and International Relations from the University of the West Indies (Jamaica) and was awarded Master of Science degree in Human Resources Development from Barry University.

Her current research interests include and examination of social, political and psychological factors that are the root cause of generally observed behavioural patterns in Jamaica (violence, aggression, impatience, quid pro quo expectations) as well as the mechanisms/strategies used to cope with chronic trauma amongst populations exposed to structural violence. Included in this are notions of identity, ethnicity and belonging, self perception, desired individual and national perception. She has been and still is involved with research on identity and belonging within migrant groups in South Florida.

Alison can be reached at alishall[at]nova.edu