International Conference

Communication, Conflicts and Peace Processes :

Landscape of Knowledge from Asia and the Deep South of Thailand

August 21-22, 2014

Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, Thailand

Rationale

The challenges and success of peace processes are to a large extent connected with and dependent from effective communication. Nearly all of these processes start on the basis of deep mistrust between the conflicting parties. Often, the communication during the first phases of a peace dialogue is not directed towards the other side, but rather to the constituencies on either side. Some journalists have called this “loudspeaker peace diplomacy”. Not much different is the manner how many media engage with the efforts to transform violent conflicts into some kind of peaceful settlement.

This issue is highly topical right now in the Deep South of Thailand in which the violent conflict will move into its 10th anniversary in 2014 and where one year ago, on 28 February 2013 an agreement was achieved to move toward a peace dialogue. But the experience is not limited to this region. In many other peace efforts in Asia the parties, the media and civil society as well as the broad public are struggling with the understanding of the role of communication.

More http://www.comm-sci1.pn.psu.ac.th/ccpp2014/