conflict & communication online, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2008
www.cco.regener-online.de
ISSN 1618-0747

 
 

 

Oddgeir Tveiten
Contact education, old and new media: Reflections on a peace-building initiative in Norway

In 2001, a peace foundation was set up in Southern Norway, where a regional WW II Gestapo headquarters became a non-profit venue with a vision of becoming a nationally recognized peace education center. The first two years saw regular threats of bankruptcy and little recognition. Then, the vision took hold – Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa came to visit twice, and a joint venture agreement was signed with the UNESCO-listed Robben Island Heritage Museum in Cape Town. Several other alliances were forged. But what was it about this vision that suddenly caught the attention of individuals and organizations engaged in peace work? Can we learn something from the history of the center about peace education as a kind of narrative strategy?

 
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On the author:
Oddgeir Tveiten is Associate Professor of Political Communication at the University of Agder in Southern Norway. He holds a PhD from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and is currently a visiting scholar at the Department of Communication, Stanford University, where he is writing a book on global journalism. His most recent book, published in Norwegian, deals with political communication and is scheduled to appear in November 2008.

eMail: oddgeir.tveiten@uia.no