USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center
Abstract
Although poetry has been used as a method of peacemaking since Homer’s Iliad, little research, theory, or analysis has been done evaluating precisely what role poetry holds in the realms of peacemaking and conflict resolution. Poetry, along with other arts-based practices of peacemaking, is beneficial because of its ability to encourage personal autonomy and emotional communication, while offering an open and creative space to heal from violent conflict. In terms of the arts, poetry is especially unique because it holds the ability to transform relationships between adversaries and the relationship with the self. This paper seeks to analyze both the historical and contemporary role of poetry in personal, communal, and international conflicts, including where it is being utilized and determining its effectiveness in addressing genocide, state violence, and processes of reconciliation
