Hot off the Press!

John Paul Lederach’s new book chronicles a decade of peacebuilding work with The McConnell Foundation in Nepal.

Reflections from a seasoned peacebuilder on a decade engagement with nonviolent social change in Nepal as the country navigated war and peace. Lederach, well known for his practical and theoretical contributions to the fields of peace studies and conflict transformation, opens up toward a personal exploration of his accompaniment of philanthropy and system’s change with local Nepali communities focused on natural resource conflicts, rural women’s empowerment, and community mediation. Written as a memoir, the book follows the story of The McConnell Foundation’s decade pledge to peacebuilding in Nepal that began in the midst of a civil war.

The author walks through key decision points faced by emergent philanthropy and provides an overview of the insights into a system’s approach to social change using primarily methods of sustained participatory action research. Among the few international theorists and practitioners with access to deep community processes and national political dialogue, Lederach provides insight into the dilemmas and lessons from sustained peacebuilding engagement. The Memoir comes to life with photography, biographical profiles and stories of local colleagues addressing the deep and pressing issues of social conflict.