Impacts of Culture and Cultural Differences on Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Multicultural Societies

Multicultural societies have become sites of violent conflicts following predictions at the end of the Cold War that culture would be a causative of future conflict. However, conflicts have not necessarily been caused by the presence of the different cultures that inhabit these communities, but cultural differences in these societies is observed to become embedded in conflict dynamics inducing escalation, aiding the easy mobilisation and motivation of conflict parties to utilise violence, eventually inducing intractability. Cultural differences impact conflict prevention and peacebuilding in multicultural settings by constituting a barrier and a times instigating failures of these processes. At the same time, it is a culture resource that can be harnessed for conflict prevention and peacebuilding if it is well understood, but its impacts seems less well understood. Successful conflict prevention and peacebuilding in multicultural societies is tied to in-depth understanding of cultural differences.

Cultural Conflicts and Resolution Mechanisms in Ibibio, South-South Nigeria

This work posits that in most cases conflicts help to build a stronger bond of unity because we agree to disagree. The chapter seeks to demonstrate that African peacebuilding poses great challenge to what looks like a complex, standardized, and globalized understanding of peacebuilding of the international community propelled mainly by achievement of justice. Using the Ibibio of South Nigeria as a case study, the researcher shows that religion, culture, and morality are inseparably bound together and pragmatic. The researcher here presents and discusses the socio-political system in Ibibio land in order to expose the structures therein that invariably ensures a return of peace after relationships have been disrupted by strife. From this investigation, one notices the expression of commitment to peacebuilding through forgiveness, reconciliation, sound teaching, dialogue, which go hand in hand with reconciliation sacrifice. This work recommends the development of a comprehensive healing programme for traumatized people towards sustainable peacebuilding.

Culture in Conflict With Childhood Training and Religious Leadership in Nigeria

It is becoming generally accepted that child development is culturally constructed. Cultural values and attitudes regulate child rearing values, developmental expectations, and emotional orientations. Employing descriptive methods in studying this problem, the chapter observes that leadership style in many societies have been plagued with greed, violence, indiscipline, and corruption. This study places blame on poor home foundation as it reasons with the Hebrew sage that nothing serious can be built on a faulty foundation (Ps. 11:3). Consequent upon this, the study upholds that if children who are Nigeria's future leaders are groomed in families that have religion and morality as the bedrock of their education, then God fearing leaders would be produced. To achieve this, the chapter further suggests that adapting and combining lessons from traditional African families and those of ancient Israel in the home training of Nigerian children would result in producing leaders like the biblical Daniel who remained incorruptible even in the face of serious challenges.

Culture

Human existence as a whole is attached to a culture. Every human is a member of a group that acts within the framework of patterns of behavior that is unique or peculiar to the group. Each group determines the component of her culture, and culture builds an identity for the group. This chapter is poised to examine definitions of culture across cultural backgrounds to show similarities and differences in articulating the subject matter. It explicates the components of culture which include the product and technical knowledge of human beings in a given environment. The work plunges into the characteristics of culture as socially based. Here, culture is seen as a creation of society and shared among members of the same society and learned through associations with others in the group. The work concludes that though there is no universally acceptable definition of culture, the impact of culture cannot be undermined as its influence is felt across disciplines and communities.

Culture of Corruption in Nigeria

The work examines the culture of corruption in Nigeria: admonishing the citizens in the light of 2Peter 1:3-11. It sees corruption as improper and unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another and a degradation of human life through the power of sin. It examines the notion that corruption has deeply soaked the fiber of Nigerian people, and as well threatens its nationhood in all ramifications even in religious circle. Apostle Peter in his second Epistle (2Peter 1:3-11) admonishes Christians in particular and the Nigerian citizens as a whole against the culture of corruption, and further recommends the utilisation of the divine resources and cultivation of the basic ethical virtues provided by God as the sure way of escape from corruption.

Theological Response to the Culture of Necrogamy in Ibibio Land

This chapter investigates the practice of necrogamy known as udo okpo by the Ibibio people in the light of theology. In Ibibio community, udo okpo as a practice has a long history till today. It is used as a means of facilitating human exploitation and sanctioning economic and financial hardship in the society. The practice has violated the fundamental human right of citizens especially the victim of udo okpo practice. The chapter adopts descriptive/survey methods of investigation making use of personal interview and participant observation. Findings reveal that instead of social integration of families by marriage, udo okpo practice brings about disunity among the affected families. With the use of theological methods namely, liberation theology, and cultural hermeneutics, the chapter portrays that cultural practices that dehumanize or put people in bondage are not the will of God for his creation. The chapter recommends that the church, government, and non-governmental organizations should organize educational programmes for the citizens on how to handle sociocultural practices.

Culture of Global Terrorism

Terrorism has become one of the most recurring decimals across the globe, creating tension in every quarter. This anomaly has necessitated both state and non-state actors to engage in concerted efforts to curtail it. Hence, this study seeks to evaluate the prevalent acts of terror perpetrated by the Islamic State group across their area of jurisdiction for about a decade now. The work traces its emergence, linking it with its spread and recent plethora of activities. The research makes use of secondary sourced materials. The chapter suggests a global cultural re-orientation, especially among young people, good governance in the Middle East, commitment over terror war by stakeholders, etc. The author believes that this essay would serve as an invaluable resource to enhance scholars of conflict in the war against terror as well as serve as a stimulating factor for further studies on the issue.

The Cultural Question in the Third World Development and Underdevelopment

An average third world country strives after development. Yet, culture, being the total way of life of the people, has exerted great impact both in the development and underdevelopment of the third world countries. Culture forms the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society. However, where the culture adopted from antiquity opposes the present changing world realities, it becomes a problem of contemporary concerns. Using a descriptive and analytical method, and cultural determinism theory, this chapter examines the role of culture in the development of underdevelopment of the third world countries (a sketch study of Africa). It argues that the cultures that lead to the development of the third world countries will gradually lead to conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Culture and development are essential notations to be reconsidered and re-enforced in the third world. Hence, to attain relevance, both must be complemented. The chapter therefore helps to harness and foster the complementation between culture and development in the third world countries.

Cultural Rituals and Symbol as a Paradigm for Conflict Intervention and Peacebuilding in Africa

The complex relationship between art, culture, conflict, and peacebuilding in contemporary time has opened a gap in knowledge too difficult to grasp. This is because culture is implicated in nearly every conflict in the world. This is corollary to the fact that the biggest challenge confronting societies today is not about how conflicts occur, but how conflicts can be completely resolved whenever they occur. Nonetheless, despite the prevalence of such conflicts and the fact that culture has been identified as a driver and a major transformer, scholarly investigation into the intentional use of arts and culture especially within the realms of rituals and symbol for conflict resolution and peace-building has regrettably been modest, disproportionate, and largely unexplored. This study, therefore, is an attempt to respond to this thesis that the deployment of rituals and symbol as an instrument to symbolically communicate commitment toward peace is a viable alternative for peacebuilding.

Culture, Tradition, and Popular Culture

The objective of this chapter was the analysis and critic of the possible conflicts that arise from culture, tradition, and emerging popular cultures in social interactions. The study aimed to demonstrate that there is a conflict of interest and supremacy between the people's culture, their long-held traditions, and emerging popular cultures. The chapter shows the differences and areas of conflict between these three elements of society. It equally demonstrated that the conflicts arising from their differences cause dislocation in social interaction in any given society. The study used the critical and philosophical analytic methods in its task.