Reimagining Cohesion

Sponsored by the Carter School's Sustainable Peace Lab

Title: Reimagining Cohesion: Insights from Contact Theory Research and Intergroup Dialogue in Northern Benin 

This session, co-led by faculty from George Mason University and practitioners from Catholic Relief Services (CRS), will explore how contact theory can be operationalized to improve programs that aim to foster social cohesion in contexts of intergroup conflict. Drawing on research and engagement with a CRS-led project in Benin, the session examines how facilitated dialogue, perspective-taking, and gateway group exercises, as well as collaborative games, were used to reduce tensions between Fulani herders and Bariba farmers amid land competition, political polarization, and economic strain. Additional contexts will also be presented to compare findings and approaches. Presenters will share key insights on the role of identity narratives, collective nostalgia, and local dispute resolution in shaping perceptions and building trust across deeply divided communities. The session will also reflect on the value of participatory learning and adaptive facilitation, highlighting the joint GMU-CRS design process of quasi-experiments that enabled iterative testing of engagement strategies in a conflict-prone environment. After a short presentation of the context and findings, the session will be opened up for Q&A, allowing an opportunity for attendees to reflect on the relevance of these methods for programming in other fragile or polarized settings and how partnerships between practitioners and scholars can generate actionable evidence for peacebuilding. 

Facilitator: Mary Rose O'Brien, Sr. Technical Advisor, Justice and Peacebuilding at CRS 

Speakers: 

• Dr. Karina Korostelina, Professor, Carter School, George Mason University 
• Eric Tchintchin, MEAL Coordinator, CRS Benin 
• Mary Rose O'Brien ('05), Senior Technical Advisor, Justice and Peacebuilding, CRS HQ 
• Beltina Gjeloshi, Fellow, Sustainable Peace Lab, Carter School