Beyond Bullets, Bombs, and Grassroots

This article addresses several of the most relevant ideas, implicit and explicit, in Judy Kuriansky's collection Beyond Bullets and Bombs. Identity development is highlighted as a key component of peacebuilding attempts; more detail is given on the psychosocial portion, which is elaborated as a dialectic between one's perception of others, one's view of how one is perceived by others, and the relationship between the two. A maturity development model, a dialogical interaction model, and the importance of power dynamics are also explored. The limitations of focusing only on the grassroots level in order to create a culture of peace are discussed, and other areas of investigation, such as tiers of leadership and structural-institutional conditions, are proposed.