Therapy at War.
How can we heal the heart of conflict?

We have completed another semester of Rethinking Leadership at Harris Manchester College in Oxford. This time our traditional seminar imperceptibly turned into a three-day conference marathon. First, a double symposium at Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford: “Russia’s war against Ukraine: global implications” and ”Alternative perspectives: actors hostile to the West.” Rob Johnson, head of The Oxford Changing Character of War Program at Pembroke College, Oxford, brought together the most prominent specialists from around the world to show the consequences of this genocidal war in Africa, China, India, the Middle East and finally the West. The entire conference was topped off by Michal Luczewski’s reflection on Central and Eastern Europe, which has become a victim of the polarization between East and West (and which itself is polarized between the position of perpetrator, victim and hero).

The final day of the seminar “Therapy at War. How can we heal the heart of conflict?” began with our special guest from Lviv – Fr. Prof. Mykhailo Dymyd, theologian of Ukrainian solidarity. His talk was a moving meditation on death, eternity and the loss of his beloved son Artem during the war. It provided a starting point for reflection on how to make peace in the heart of conflict. Gabrielle Rifkind shared her experience mediating between Israel and Hamas and between Ukraine and Russia. Lord John Alderdice talked about his experience of resolving unresolvable conflicts, starting with the Good Friday Agreements, and Michal Luczewski – with reference to Jan Patočka – spoke about the long 20th century, “the wars of the 21st century and the 21st century as war” from which we do not know how to break out.

Thank you for the support of the Polish National Foundation, the Oxford Polish Association, the Polish Cultural Institute in London, the Center for Democracy and Peace Building and CRIC.