Generous Listening and Peacebuilding in Practice

Recently, I took part in the Ikeda Center’s 2024 Global Citizens Seminar, an opportunity to connect in dialogue with other scholars and researchers from around Boston. As a Ph.D. Candidate focused on the history of education in West Africa, I looked forward to engaging in discussions centered on global citizenship, peacebuilding, and activism. Through the in-depth dialogues—which took place over two days—the seminar helped me to clarify some of my thoughts on education, politics, and a more equitable worldview. As educators, activists, and scholars, our work is inherently tied to the principles of listening, dialogue, and peacebuilding—something that I saw put into practice over the course of the seminar.

A key element of these discussions was focused on fostering dialogue across difference, whether cultural, religious, or political. When asked how to build friendships and dialogue across cultures, I suggested that food is a powerful connector. The relationships I have formed with friends from Kenya, Botswana, The Gambia, and elsewhere have often taken place over a shared meal of each other’s foods—and, in turn, by sharing each other’s cultural backgrounds and languages. This leads to another way to foster dialogues across difference: encouraging learning about one another and making it enjoyable. Whether learning new words for shared foods (jollofin Ghana, benechin in The Gambia, pilau in Kenya for similar rice dishes) or learning how to greet one another politely in each other’s languages (“hello, how are you?” “salaamalaikum, nanga def?” “Mambo, habari gani?”), listening to, and learning about, one another over meals and through conversation are a critical way to emphasize the importance of creating community and friendship—and therefore peace. Importantly, generously listening to what is shared—whether stories, cultures, or food—can help us to appreciate diverse perspectives, which can foster a stronger sense of understanding and mutual respect in every exchange.

This was often put into practice during the seminar, as it was through our conversations over shared meals and learning about one another that helped to unite us. These informal dialogues underscored how peacebuilding often begins with everyday connections, where we recognize each other’s humanity through simple, shared experiences. The author Alex Dehgan, who wrote The Snow Leopard Project (2019), shares many such experiences in his attempts to build peace and conservation efforts in Afghanistan primarily through dialogue between various competing groups and communities. Likewise,informal conversation between participants within dialogues organized by the Society of Friends (Quakers) in the 1960s in West Africa played an important role in sharing ideas around peace and development for the future of the newly independent states in the region.

The stories and contributions from the other participants in the Global Citizens Seminar greatly enriched these dialogues, offering new, diverse perspectives that deepened our collective understanding of one another. This aligns well with peace education principles as espoused by Daisaku Ikeda, the Center’s namesake, who emphasized understanding and empathy as the bedrock of peaceful coexistence. The work of Ikeda, a lifelong peacebuilder, relates well to Generous Listening as described by the Vuslat Foundation and how it strengthens peacebuilding and preventing further conflict. As he wrote in 1971, it is “the cries of men and women who have no one to appeal to, that we must harken to and respect.” It is through listening to these voices that “ring with a truth and sincerity far more compelling than any lofty statement of pacifist principles” that can serve as “the point of departure for any meaningful movement to…bring about lasting peace.” Generous listening can play an important role inthe cultivation of the “sincere humanism” that Ikeda called for.

A particular moment that resonated for me was Elora Chowdhury’s, one of the facilitators, discussion on how women in South Asia have driven change through organized and artistic activism, as much of my own scholarship and activism has revolved around advocating for better opportunities for all, regardless of race, language, gender, or class. In further discussions, Chowdhury also highlighted the too-often overlooked disconnect between human rights research and the history of colonialism and its afterlives—a critical reminder of the need for further education and dialogue that bridges our shared history and its ongoing impact on our collective humanity. Likewise, Alexander Harang’s, another facilitator,discussion of Global Citizenship as the culmination of Ikeda’s peace philosophy also spoke to me, particularly the idea that at its core is dialogue. To view oneself as a global citizen requires being in constant dialogue with others.

This aligns with my work as a Researcher at Tufts University’s Vuslat Foundation Generous Listening and Dialogue Initiative (GLADI), where we emphasize the importance of generous listening to better understand one another. A key component of generous listening is to listenacross difference, allowing us to see each other as fully human with unique lived experiences that make us distinct, but also united in our common humanity. This is not merely an intellectual exercise—it is an emotional and ethical commitment to peace- and community-building. It involves setting aside assumptions and biases about one another, creating space to learn more from another’s perspectives and experiences. This kind of generosity in listening fosters mutual respect and empathy with one another, which are foundational to any sustainable peace process.

In this context, we cannot separate dialogue from generous listening. Genuine dialogue requires not only speaking but also the willingness to listen to one another, without rushing to respond, criticize, or defend. Through the Global Citizens Seminar, we practiced generous listening by opening ourselves to new ideas and concepts, with the intention to better understand one another and our work. These sorts of interactionsallow for transformative encounters, where peace is not only talked about but practiced, helping to “forge bonds of solidarity,” as Ikeda describes it. In these moments, dialogue becomes a tool not just for communication, but for building trust and dismantling barriers that perpetuate conflict.

Overall, the Global Citizens Seminar reinforced my belief that dialogue and generous listening are important elements for increasing our capacity for peace. Peace, as was discussed by the organizers, facilitators, and participants throughout the two sessions, can be emphasized through education to make a more equitable and peaceful world. Our shared interconnectedness and the diverse perspectives we hold can truly come to life through engaging in further dialogue with, and generously listening to, one another—where we can actively work together to overcome barriers and build bridges. This process of listening, learning, and engaging in dialogue—especially with those who come from different backgrounds—is such a deeply human exercise. It was something we practiced throughout the Seminar. The insights that were generously shared by my fellow participants beautifully illustrated the importance of these exchanges, highlighting how diverse voices can come together in the shared pursuit of peace. Through continuous dialogue with one another, we can come to a much better understanding of the full range of our common humanity. We can also deepen our appreciation for the diversity that enriches our lives as individuals, as well as the commonalities that bind us together as human beings.

Reflecting on the Ikeda Center’s 2024 Global Citizens Seminar, I see how our work as educators, activists, and scholars is inherently tied to these principles of listening, dialogue, and peacebuilding. Whether these are encouraged through education or through informal exchanges, our shared goal remains the same: for us to cultivate a world where every individual is seen, heard, and valued. This vision of global citizenship should not merely be an abstract ideal but also a practical approach to living in an interconnected, globalized world. As I move forward, the lessons of the seminar will continue to help keep me grounded and inform my work, reminding me of our interconnectedness, and the importance of generous listening and dialogue in shaping a more equitable and peaceful world for all.