Jonathan H Mason
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Name | Jonathan H Mason |
Welcome to our community: How do you define PEACE? | 🙂 I am tempted to reach to the dialectic and say that peace is the result of conflict. This is a morbid conclusion. Since war is “politics by other means” – peace would perhaps imply an absence of politics. something…transcendental, hence not reasonable. Peace (in my humble opinion) would occur as the result of truly creative activity. In constructing a community without looking backwards but rather forward (hence its unreasonable aspect). |
How did you find this community? | I am familiar with some of the founding thinkers through IR studies |
Do you have any professional experience in the field of peace-research? peace-studies? peace-practice? | Not other than theoretical. I have an MA in International Relations from St. Andrews university where I found the most reward and performed best in modules dealing with security studies, conflict transformation working with themes and examples of truth and reconciliation, post war “justice” etc. |
Are you at all familiar with concepts of Nonviolence and Conflict Transformation? | I am familiar with non-violence through some little research in Taoism and kung fu practice. |
What are your primary conceptual interests and concerns | International Relations is my field of study. Cosmopolitan theory (and practice). Taoism. Epistemology (various critiques of knowledge and morality from eastern and western sources) |
Location(s) | Rabat, Morocco |
What is your main regional focus? | MENA |
Languages | English, Arabic, French (limited), Amazighi (limited). |
CV | 2011 – 2012 Master of Arts (Honours) University of St Andrews, (2:1) International Relations 2008 – 2011 BA (General Degree), University of St Andrews, International Relations (2:1). 2010 University of California, Berkeley; School of Philosophy: Existentialism in Film and Literature, (P) 2010 Oxford Seminar TEFL/TESL/TESOL; Certificate of Completion 60-hour course. University of Los Angeles 2003 – 2007 Culver Military Academy, Culver, Indiana; High School Diploma + Leadership training Work experience 2008-10 Worked at Economic Resources Corporation, Los Angeles as manager of the Maintenance Dept. supervising and motivating a team of workers in inner city LA. Responsibilities included: maintenance of properties owned by ERC as well as rehabilitation of former gang members. 2007 – 2008 volunteered with Cross Cultural Solutions in Rabat, Morocco in Lala Merriam orphanage. 2007 Employed by The Fund for Public Interest Research in California (CALPERG). A grass roots community political canvassing organization. 2004 – 2006 Employed by Town Summer Camps in San Francisco as a mathematics teacher and chess coach. Personal: Background: Born and raised in San Francisco, California. Attended military school in Indiana (USA) from ages 15 – 18. Lived in Rabat for a year in 2007 and 2008. During the summers, I took residence in Los Angeles where I worked with non profit groups in Compton and Watts, LA for 3 years. I attended and graduated with a Bachelors and then Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of St Andrews, Scotland before moving back to Rabat in 2012. Languages: English (native speaker, writer, teacher); Arabic (Modern Standard): 3/5; Arabic (Darija) 4/5; French: 3/5 |