Many of the current peacebuilding tools originated in academic institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Theoretical frameworks, communication skills, and problem-solving exercises are now mimicked internationally, regardless of cultural context. Ritual peacebuilding offers new ways of building on local cultural resources. The theory and practice of ritual have much to offer people who seek to transform conflict and build peace both within their own cultural context and when helping people of other cultures.
Peacebuilders can use ritual as a supplement or an alternative to traditional "front door" approaches to conflict that deal with issues in direct, rational and linear modes. Ritual is a contextual frame that provides a metamessage of relationship through symbolic actions that communicate a transforming message . A thorough interdisciplinary literature review reveals the following characteristics of ritual. Ritual is a unique social space, set aside from normal life. Ritual helps people make sense of their world by heightening awareness of relationships and giving meaning and order to the world through symbols, metaphors, and myths. In ritual we learn by doing. There is a preference for nonverbal communication using bodies, senses, and emotions rather than words or rational thought. Ritual action is symbolic rather than instrumental. Ritual both marks and assists in the process of change. It helps transform people's worldviews, identities, and relationships with others.
This exploratory dissertation uses a qualitative research methodology based on interviews and participatory observation in three case studies to explore how these interdisciplinary theories of ritual take shape in practice. Case studies on the First Nations smudging ceremony, feminist ritual, and social rituals in a Cyprus peacebuilding workshop seek to draw out the practical applications of ritual. The skills of creating ritual contexts conducive to peacebuilding processes should be relevant to all types of people who work with peace and conflict issues.