How NGOs May Promote a Shared Society in Conflict-Affected Areas

Abstract

Abstract This article comparatively examines the results of a qualitative study of how non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may promote a shared society in the conflict-affected areas of Israel and Cyprus. The authors have chosen to set their research in these two contexts, where the complex relationships between the majority and the minority communities have led to persistent conflicts that seem rather ‘intractable’ and ‘frozen’. Three thematic categories emerge from this analysis: (a) empowering citizens to enact intercultural initiatives; (b) enhancing youth’s agency; and (c) collaborating with the state and other actors. The authors discuss their findings under the framework of interculturalism and intercultural change. Their argument is that for peacebuilding to flourish in both countries, civil society organizations (CSOs) should cultivate sympathetic imagination by enabling people from the communities in conflict to firstly imagine and then pursue alternatives to the current status quo.