The Moral Imagination, the Art and Soul of Building Peace

The Moral Imagination (Oxford University Press, USA, 2005) By John Paul Lederach. John Paul Lederach's work in the field of reconciliation and mediation is internationally recognized. In this book, Lederach poses the question, "How do we transcend the cycles of violence that bewitch our human community while still living in them?" Peacebuilding, in his view, is both a learned skill and an art. Conflict professionals must envision their work as a creative act, an exercise of what Lederach terms the "moral imagination." Drawing on his twenty-five years of experience in the field, he explores the evolution of his understanding of peacebuilding and points the way toward the future of the art.