Annual Report 2024-25: Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative

Stone carving of a dove

RCPI has entered a temporary period of pause this year while strategic planning processes among the HDS faculty work to chart a new vision for its next stage of programming.  Reflecting on the first seven years of RCPI, we recognize the impact it has had on Harvard Divinity School, the broader Harvard community, and the partners with whom we collaborated. RCPI’s distinctive features included the following:

  • A truly “One Harvard” initiative: RCPI began as a joint effort between the Kennedy School and the Divinity School. Our courses brought together diverse student cohorts, often representing up to nine graduate schools across Harvard. Similarly, our ten faculty affiliates and senior fellows hailed from six different Harvard graduate schools, fostering interdisciplinary exploration. One example of collaboration was our joint series with the Harvard Graduate School of Design, “Designing Within Conflict: Building for Peace,” with our affiliate Malkit Shoshan.
  • A hub for programming and study on Israel/Palestine: RCPI attracted students from across Harvard seeking  critical engagement with its Israel/Palestine case study. Through an extensive array of book talks, film screenings, and public lectures, it offered a robust schedule of opportunities to explore issues informing the conflict.
  • Developing transferable skills and frameworks: While providing a focused study of a specific context, the program worked to equip students with tools and frameworks applicable to many conflicts and contexts. It centered an analysis of power, structural injustice, and violence, and it encouraged an examination of religion’s role in these contexts. The coursework prioritized marginalized voices, seeking to foster innovative approaches to just peace by disrupting injustice without replicating it, and cultivating a practice of moral imagination.
  • Innovative and diverse programmatic offerings: RCPI offered resident and non-resident fellowships that connected artists and practitioners with students, enriching our work with real-world applications. Faculty study groups fostered interdisciplinary exchange and cutting-edge academic work. Forty-two internships provided in-depth learning, some of which led to employment after graduation. Over 120 public events broadened our community beyond Harvard and expanded our knowledge through hosting diverse voices and perspectives.

Alumni testify to the impact of RCPI’s work and the enduring importance of relationships and community building.

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