Hope Amidst Conflict

How does hope for peace form and proliferate in the seemingly hopeless reality of conflict, and why do despair and fear often prevail? How do political elites utilize hope and skepticism to manipulate their public during conflict? And how does hope manifest itself at the societal level? Hope Amidst Conflict takes on the bold challenge of answering these questions by merging insights from philosophy and social psychology and investigating hope for peace in an intense political context--the intractable, violent conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Hope for peace has gathered scholarly attention in the last decade. However, the work has been focusing on the mechanisms of hope while failing to ask the bigger questions about hope's role in the politics of conflict. Moreover, existing research presents a confusing account of what hope "is" and how it can be measured. This confusion yielded mixed results regarding the levels and consequences of hope during conflict. Combining the wisdom of more than a hundred years of scholarship on hope with insights from original data collected in conflict zones, Hope Amidst Conflict offers a novel conceptualization of hope and a standardized way to measure hope in a wide array of contexts. Using these new approaches, the book embarks on a journey to identify the determinants and consequences of hope amidst conflict.

"What is the role of hope in the lives of individuals and collectives mired in conflict and political unrest? How do political elites utilize hope and skepticism to mobilize citizens, and how does hope manifest itself at the grassroots level? Under what conditions can hope proliferate in the seemingly hopeless situations of intractable conflicts, and why do despair and fear often prevail? Is being hopeful necessarily a good thing, or are there situations when hope should be avoided, or at least minimized? These questions are not only thought-provoking but also highly relevant to the reality of millions of people around the world struggling for justice, equality, and peace"--

This book combines well-known theoretical elements of various disciplines to form a broad picture of the role of ideologies in conflicts, in particular "the supply and demand side" of the ideological market: namely, why individuals choose particular ideologies and how radical groups, and organizations use them to address individuals' specific needs for the purpose of recruitment. This allows better understanding of the socio-psychological dynamics of social conflicts--why adopting particular ideologies is reasonable given certain socio-economic conditions; why individuals stick to destructive ideologies; and why they embrace major personal risks to join radical groups and advance the goals of these groups.

News coverage today is an emerging collaboration between the general public and professional journalists. News consumers have come to expect and demand the unprecedented immediacy of experience and coverage of breaking news offered by photographs, video clips, audio recordings, tweets, commentary: content created by ordinary citizens. The use of user-generated content is a salient aspect of how journalists and news organizations are responding to technological changes in the twenty-first century. Eyewitness Textures examines the far-reaching changes in journalism spurred by the growing importance of user-generated content. Bringing together the voices and experiences of professional journalists and academic researchers from across five continents, this collection explores news production practices, changing skills among editors and journalists, and corporate and newsroom restructuring. Chapters by practitioners collectively reflect the newsroom experiences of major global media organizations, while the academic contributions address issues of industrial transformation, political influence, truth and verification, aesthetics, and ideological implications. Both perspectives combine to deepen our understanding of what constitutes the conditions and creation of good journalism, as well as the implications of how the profession should be taught to future journalists. Tracing recent shifts in journalism practice around the world, Eyewitness Textures examines the creative adaptation and strategies of journalists and news organizations in the face of transformative technological change.

Why did they stay? Despite the challenges of loneliness, drought, and political turmoil Kansas pioneers faced, many found and wrote about joy and beauty in their adopted communities. Letters and diaries describe the times that gave them reason to sing, dance, and celebrate – moments when their burdens were lighter. This volume brings together reflections of 50 individuals of different ages, backgrounds, and outlooks who helped shape the identity of the Sunflower State.

Hope Amid Hopelessness is a true story about the loving, merciful, caring, all powerful, ever present, gracious, just, sovereign, personal Abba Father (God) working in the lives of Jim and Laura Hansen. As Jim cared for Laura while she struggled with major clinical depression that later led to borderline personality disorder, he realized quickly that he could not fight this battle alone. Turning to his Abba Father, he sought understanding, knowledge, and wisdom from the only source that could truly help. As Jim struggled with his faith, God was always there for him. He showed Jim through the Bible the path through mental illness. Although Jim’s Abba Father showed him the path, he struggled following the path. You will see how God patiently reminded him time and again of the things that he had already learned. The roller-coaster ride of Jim and Laura’s life was full of surprises and twists and turns for them, but Jim realized through this experiences that his Abba Father was never surprised or changed by the quick turns. The story goes through five suicide attempts and multiple attempts to treat Laura for her different symptoms. Jim struggled with believing God’s Word. During the last sixteen-plus years of questions and tragedy, Jim learned to trust God as he carefully and lovingly led Jim through the ups and downs of his life. Although many questions were answered by Jim’s Abba Father, several still remain unanswered. However, Jim knows that there is an answer to all of them because his Abba Father has convinced him that the answers are in his Abba Father. Jim’s desire is to give glory to God and help those who are in a similar situation. He hopes to do that by showing others how his Abba Father aided him.

"An invitation to pastors to become disciples, teachers, and like St. Francis, joyous troubadours of the King." Howard A. Snyder "Henderson knows the trials and tribulations of the pastor. He also understands the integrity of the Christian faith. Any minister reading the book will be encouraged and strengthened for the demands of ministry." William H. Willimon "Full of realism and hope, graced with theological insight and personal experience, Henderson's book faces our churches as they are and looks with faith to what they can be. All who care about local congregations and what makes them vital will treasure this book." David Allan Hubbard