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Broome in discussion with a Cyprus University student
group.
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"If you want to understand the culture, you need to be absorbed
in it and participate fully in the life of the people," says Dr.
Benjamin Broome about his work in intercultural communication.
A professor of communication at Arizona State University, Broome
focuses on conflict resolution in intercultural contexts. His
specialty is facilitating dialogue and consensus building among
groups divided by cultural barriers, political differences, and
historical circumstances. To utilize his expertise in this area
and to expand his own knowledge and understanding of ethnic conflicts,
he spent two and a half years in Cyprus as a Fulbright scholar.
The conflict between the Greek and Turkish ethnic groups on the
island of Cyprus is a long-standing and complicated one. The island
is divided into Turkish and Greek regions, split by a buffer zone
patrolled by U.N. troops. Given the strategic location of Cyprus,
and that both Greece and Turkey are members of NATO, instability
on the island is a threat to the security of the whole region.
Dr. Broome's involvement with Cyprus began in 1994. He served
three consecutive terms as a Fulbright scholar and has returned
continuously to the island since 1996. He worked in both communities
of Cyprus, spending a lot of time meeting with bicommunal groups
in the buffer. Over the years he has built lasting relationships
with members of both ethnic groups.
During his term as Fulbright scholar, Broome offered numerous
training sessions in group facilitation and conflict resolution
to bicommunal groups of Greek and Turkish Cypriots. "My initial
goal was to introduce concepts and skills that might help members
of the two communities work together more productively," explains
the scholar. "In the process of offering these programs, I became
a third-party facilitator for bringing members of the two communities
together across a dividing line that has proven to be even stronger
than the Berlin Wall." He points out that understanding between
the people of both communities on a grassroots level is essential
for any political agreements to be functional. He emphasizes that
ordinary people in both communities must envision a peaceful future
to replace the bitter memories of years of hostility and separation.
During his Fulbright assignment, he established good working relations
with the diplomatic community on the island, including U.S. Embassy,
United Nations and European Union representatives in Cyprus, helping
them develop better ways to promote bicommunal communication and
educational programs.
Broome's involvement with the island nation has surpassed his
initial participation in the Fulbright Scholar Program. He remains
committed to promoting a peaceful resolution to the ethnic conflict
that divides 150,000 Turkish Cypriots from 600,000 Greek Cypriots
with barbed wire and armed troops. His continued efforts in Cyprus
have become "an integral part of my own identity as a professional
and as a world citizen. This work is unlikely to let go of me
anytime soon." For more information about Benjamin Broome's activities
in Cyprus, visit www.public.asu.edu/~bbroome/gazette.html.
Peace-keeping efforts have intensified in the
last decade, and Fulbright scholars have played
a significant role in promoting understanding
and cooperation. Read more about Marco
Turk, a 1997-98 grantee to Cyprus who also
trained bicommunal groups in methods of resolving
conflict.
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