Abstract
Within the field of peacebuilding, the practice of dialogue in face-to-face settings has become widely utilized by practitioners and studied by Peace and Conflict scholars. However, while an argument has been made, within both the practice and study of peacebuilding, to examine and integrate technologies that serve the aims and goals of peace practice, the area of online dialogue in peacebuilding is under-researched. This qualitative thesis addresses this gap by exploring individuals’ experiences within an intentional and sustained online dialogue program to address the research question: can engaging other through dialogic encounters within an online environment enable conditions for positive peace?
The theoretical framework of this thesis draws key concepts from a holistic, tripartite notion of positive peace alongside the dialogue theories of Martin Buber and Paulo Freire. This research utilizes online ethnography as the methodological means for inquiry, drawing primarily from observations and interviews with 24 individuals involved in a sustained online dialogue program, of whom 11 were participants and 13 were facilitators. In alignment with reflexive ethnographic practices, the researcher’s voice and positionality statements are woven into the thesis in the form of cogitatio passages.
Key findings of this research revealed the connection between online dialogue and positive peace, presented in this thesis as humanization and transformation. Humanization is articulated as shifts in perceptions of other and reduction in stereotypes within sustained online dialogue encounters. Transformation is understood as conscientization and discussed as two elements: emergence and intervention. Emergence is evidenced as the articulation of previously unseen social realities, while intervention is recognized as deliberate and intentional shifts in behaviour and actions. This study contributes unique and valuable insight into the micro-level of dialogue encounters in an online context and demonstrates the relationship between positive peace and online dialogue practice for peacebuilding.