Narratives of Belonging

Narratives of Belonging: Discovering the hidden narratives that shape our lives, our place in the world, and the meanings of love and justice

Presented by David Hooker
We live our lives through stories. Often those personal stories are shaped (unconsciously) by narratives contained in the myths, family folklore, religious text, and children's books that we once heard but have long-since forgotten. Using a series of reading reflections and guided activities, scholars will come to discover for themselves some of their own hidden narratives, the way these narratives shape relationships and meaning making. Two important types of narratives that will be the focus of our sessions are narratives of love and justice.

About David Hooker
David Anderson Hooker is Professor of the Practice of Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies in University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs. His practice spans more than 30 years as mediator, restorative justice practitioner, trainer, leadership development specialist, advocate, and community peacebuilder working throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and the (united) States of America. Hooker's primary research investigates the social and narrative construction of complex identities; the role of multigenerational trauma in the formation of interpersonal and communal relationships, systems, and structures; and the various models and approaches to truth-telling as mechanisms for approaching justice, quality peace, and societal reconciliation. He is the co-author (with Amy Potter-Czjaikowski) of Transforming Historical Harms (Eastern Mennonite, 2012), and the author of The Little Book of Transformative Community Conferencing (SkyHorse 2016) and several other book chapters and journal articles.