Paper long abstract:

We are at a cross-road now in both theory and practice. We witness increased violence as a mode of conflict settlement. In this context of crisis of practice and imagination we need new ways of thinking about and addressing conflicts. In my paper I present outline of a new theory of conflict transformation which can be called compassionate confrontation. It builds upon transformations in both compassion and confrontation as modes of thinking, being and intersubjectivity. It builds upon reflections on compassion from traditions such as Buddhism as well as evolutionary theories of savants such as Peter Kropotkin and Sri Aurobindo. It also builds upon my fieldwork on global justice movements such as Attac in Europe where confrontative dialogue is an important mode of reflection and practice. The paper submits that compassionate confrontation can help us reconstitute human development, contribute to social transformations and facilitate planetary realizations.