What We Do – Reconciling Conflicts and Intergroup Divisions Lab

The RCID Lab works with practitioners, researchers, subject-matter experts, and students to implement research and practical interventions focused on the reconciliation of identity-based conflicts and social divisions. This page contains more information on our five core thematic areas of work, our ongoing projects, and upcoming and past events. Select a theme or specific project below to learn more about it.

Our Projects

The Costs of Peace: War Experience, Territorial Loss, and Peace Agreement Consensus in Ukraine. National Science Foundation

Will it be possible to establish a stable peace settlement after the Russia-Ukraine War? This project examines this question by tracing the ways that wartime experiences shape ordinary Ukrainians’ attitudes toward different peace settlement scenarios. In particular, it considers how people’s experiences and characteristics shape their dispositions toward potential territorial concessions, which, however unjust, are presently recognized by all sides as part of the road toward peace. By (re)invading Ukraine in 2022, Russia has sought further territorial gains to build upon those taken from Ukraine in 2014. While Ukrainian forces have fought bravely, the cost of peace for Ukraine may be high, such as signing a peace settlement that relinquishes its claim to Crimea, the Donbas and more to Russia and Russian-backed forces. But after great resistance and suffering, witnessing the death of friends and family members, and destruction and displacement, will ordinary Ukrainians accept the loss of further state territory as a necessary price for peace? Deeper understanding on how general populations assess the cost of peace can greatly inform preparation, negotiation and implementation of peace agreements by both national governments and international third parties.

To advance understanding of how people’s wartime experiences influence their positions toward peace agreements requiring territorial concessions, this project seeks to uncover the social psychological processes and wartime experiences informing the dispositions of ordinary Ukrainians toward peace. Existing literatures suggest divergent impacts of war experience on attitude towards the costs of peace. For example, direct exposure to violence and destruction at the hands of Russian forces may increase Ukrainians’ perception of immediate threat, which may in turn increase their willingness to support territorial concessions as a means to end violent hostilities. On the other hand, anger at the invader, threats to Ukrainian identity and values, and desire to honor the sacrifice of those who died defending Ukrainian land, may have hardened attitudes toward territorial compromises. War may have made all Ukrainian territory a ‘sacred value’ to ordinary Ukrainians, reducing the possibility of territorial compromise, and making any settlement a potentially unstable one. Using multiple research methods, this study will explore the complex factors that come into play as people work to resolve these dilemmas. The project will begin with collection and quantitative analysis of survey data from 1800 Ukrainians, including locals and internally displaced people, across three towns close to the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv where active fighting is taking place. Based on the survey findings, the team will engage three groups of ten citizens across the same three towns in discussions about how they make sense of and assess tradeoffs associated with a potential peace agreement. Integrated analysis of the survey and group discussion results will inform the development of theoretical and practical implications for scholars, policymakers and practitioners focused on peace agreements.

Methodology for The Costs of Peace: War Experience, Territorial Loss, and Peace Agreement Consensus in Ukraine

Tolerance Development & Conflict Resolution in Serbia. United States Embassy in Serbia

Interethnic intolerance and prejudice in Serbia present a challenge to the realization of civic and multicultural norms that are central to democratic development. To address this problem, it is critical to equip young people with theoretical knowledge as well as practical skills and experiences to embrace social diversity and effectively deal with the consequences of current and past conflicts. To this end and with financial support from the United States Embassy in Serbia, the RCID Lab is cooperating with the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Niš (UNI) to support community conflict resolution led by young people in Serbia. Key components of this project include (1) the development of new UNI courses on conflict resolution, (2) a summer school for UNI undergraduate students on methods for studying social conflict, (3) support for conflict research led by UNI and George Mason University students, and (4) establishment of a community hub on social inclusion and conflict resolution in Niš, Serbia.

Methodology for Tolerance Development & Conflict Resolution in Serbia

Exploring the Role of Norm Perception in the Production of Intergroup Threat Perception. Carter School for Peace & Conflict Resolution

Building upon initial qualitative and quantitative evidence that intergroup threats may be shaped by perceived group norms rather than individual attributions on behalf of the group, the RCID Lab is implementing a multi-stage pilot study exploring the role of social norms in the production of intergroup threat perception. The lab team collected survey data from 356 Democrats – online through Prolific – in February 2022 to validate newly developed measures for perceived norms of intergroup differentiation and threat and assess their role in predicting perceived group boundaries and outgroup threats attributed to Republicans. Building upon these initial findings, the lab team is planning to conduct a small-scale experiment in fall of 2022 to assess the potential of social norm manipulations to reduce perceived intergroup threats and contribute to reconciliation.

Methodology for Exploring the Role of Norm Perception in the Production of Intergroup Threat Perception

Bridging Divides in Social Movements: A Comparative, Mixed-Methods Analysis of Two LGBTQ Justice Movements in the U.S. Institute for a Sustainable Earth & Business for a Better World Center, GMU

Despite their central role in driving solutions to conflicts and issues of injustice, social movements often suffer from internal divisions which hamper their ability to advance justice-oriented objectives. This issue has become more widespread in recent decades, affecting social movements across the globe. Despite this widespread challenge, few evidence-based studies have sought to learn from members of social movements themselves about (a) core conflicts driving intragroup division and (b) practices social movements may use to prevent or address these divisions. To address this gap, the RCID Lab in cooperation with the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation are implementing a pilot project to conduct initial research and development of approaches for addressing divisions within social movements. The project will involve interviews and survey research with members of local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) movements in Washington, DC and Athens, Georgia on the nature of divisions within those movements and current practices being employed to address them. This project will result in practical tools to support social movement activists in preventing and addressing intra-movement divisions.

Methodology for Bridging Divides in Social Movements: A Comparative, Mixed-Methods Analysis of Two LGBTQ Justice Movements in the U.S.

Climate Displacement: Conflict, Climate Change, and Decisions to Migrate. Institute for a Sustainable Earth & Business for a Better World Center, GMU

This seed project aims to capture the complexities of the decisions regarding climate-related displacement and resettlement. It will reflect majority-minority relations, conflict history, and ongoing violence (cultural, structural, direct) both internally (within one country) and internationally (across borders with other countries). This will inform the development of a model for predicting the potential conflict outcomes of various relocation choices, including where people migrate (inside/outside of their country), and whether they migrate as individuals, whole communities, or somewhere in between.

Methodology for Climate Displacement: Conflict, Climate Change, and Decisions to Migrate

Supporting Youth Leadership in Lebanon. US Embassy in Lebanon

With a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, the RCID Lab empowers youth at the local level in Lebanon and trains them on municipality leadership practices through a Municipality Internship Program. The internship program includes a training academy and support for youth to conduct outreach and advocacy campaigns and implement cross-sectarian projects in municipalities. In the future, the RCID Lab will work with young people to implement a similar project on a larger scale at the national level. As of end of the summer 2022, groups of young leaders had completed projects in five municipalities, and more projects were underway.

Methodology for Supporting Youth Leadership in Lebanon

Bridging the Digital Divide. Open Internet Society

With support from the Open Internet Society the RCID Lab works to address a digital divide that limits Native American tribes’ access to high-speed internet. The project has thus far involved analyzing the complex process of broadband installation in Native American communities, the opportunities and challenges it creates, and its impact on community resilience. Based on this analysis, the project team is developing a model for digital leadership and strategies to effectively increase community resilience through broadband installation and promote resilience practices that improve the quality of Federal broadband policies and their implementation.

Methodology for Bridging the Digital Divide

Contact Theory in Democracy, Human Rights, & Governance Programs. Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor, U.S. Department of State

One of the most influential ideas in social psychology, contact theory posits that positive, enduring contact between antagonistic groups that facilitates cooperation toward common goals can reduce intergroup prejudice. Despite widespread use of intergroup contact in democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) programs, there is a lack of systematic consideration of DRG program approaches and theories of change in relation to a wide body of empirical academic research on whether, how, and when contact is productive in improving intergroup attitudes and behaviors. With funding from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, the RCID Lab and the Better Evidence Project (BEP) at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution are working to address this academic-practitioner disconnect through a collaborative research project. The project involves engagement with DRG practitioners from diverse global populations to aggregate the latest evidence on contact theory, critically evaluate the use of intergroup contact in DRG programs, develop new tools and guidance for the effective and inclusive use of intergroup contact in DRG programs, and support the application of research findings in DRG programs. This project is designed to strengthen the ability of DRG practitioners using intergroup contact to contribute to transformative, long-term social and political change.

Methodology for Contact Theory in Democracy, Human Rights & Governance

Upcoming and Past Events

The RCID Lab participants convene on a regular basis for working sessions to brainstorm innovative approaches to reconciliation and develop tools for practitioners. The lab also hosts public events with expert practitioners working on reconciliation. Information about public events are be posted on this page.

Upcoming Events

No upcoming events at this time

Past Events

2022

October 3, 2022 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Ukrainian Attitudes of War and Peace: Complex Dilemmas of Wartime

September 23, 2022 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Conflict Response Practices in Ukraine

September 19, 2022 9:00 AM – 10:20 AM

War Experience, Territorial Loss, and Perceptions in Ukraine

2021

May 6, 2021 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Addressing Threat Perception in the Reconciliation of Identity-Based Conflicts

April 13, 2021 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Theories of Change Workshop Series: Addressing Difficult Heritage

March 22, 2021 10 AM – 11:30 AM

Bridging Social Divides: Perspectives from Africa and East Asia

March 17, 2021 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Social Norms and Norm Change in the Reconciliation of Identity-Based Conflicts

March 3, 2021 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Advancing the SDGs Through Graduate Research

March 3, 2021 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Beyond the Bean Counting: Measuring Peace for SDG 16

February 17, 2021 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Theories of Change Workshop Series: Addressing Difficult Pasts and Divided Memories at the Community Level