Peacebuilding &conflict transformation A ... - Peaceworkafrica

acquired by everyone. If dialogue and mutual understanding take place, it mightchange the perceptions of one’s own reality. This can result in the acceptance andmodification of perceptions that over time become part of the collective knowledgeand perception of the group.Resources‘Who gets what and how much?’ Among the resources to be distributed are tangibleones such as money, land or better jobs, and intangible ones such as position, power,knowledge or social status. If there are enough resources available, everyone simplytakes what one needs. But, when not enough of a given resource is available to satisfyeveryone’s needs or wants a conflict may arise. In this situation the more the one sideobtains, the less there is for the other side. Depending on the importance or thevalue of the resource, a conflict can become very intractable.Prejudice 19 – stereotype – discrimination – …ismsAll of these are issues in conflicts as they assign characteristics to people or groups ofpeople —usually negative ones — without sufficient proof. They can be conscious orunconscious; often they are very strong, prevent openness and influence relationships.Prejudice an opinion formed in advance about something, someone or a group withoutgood reason or sufficient knowledge or experience.Examples▶ Girls who wear short skirts want to try to attract men.▶ Walking like this clearly indicates he is an introvert.Stereotype a generalized image created when prejudice towards a particular groupis so simplified that one sees all group members as possessing certain qualities(in conflict they are usually negative ones). Other words used to express astereotype are: received idea, cliché, formula, or categorization.Examples▶ The Bamileke are money loving people.▶ Muslims like fighting.▶ Children roaming around the cities are all thieves.Discrimination mostly describes negative behaviour resulting from prejudice andstereotypes against a particular group or groups.108 I I I . C O N F L I C T