All contexts are characterized by Dividers and Connectors<\/i><\/p>\n
All contexts are characterized by two driving forces of social dynamics (sometimes referred to by users as \u201crealities\u201d): Dividers and Connectors.<\/p>\n
Outside interventions will always interact with both Dividers and Connectors. Components of an intervention can have a negative <\/i>impact, exacerbating and worsening dividers or undermining or delegitimizing connectors. An intervention can likewise have a positive<\/i> impact, strengthening connectors or serving to reduce dividers.<\/p>\n
Understanding what divides people is critical to understanding how interventions can feed into and support these forces or lessen them.<\/p>\n
Understanding what connects people despite conflict is critical to understanding how interventions reinforce and support, or undermine, those factors that can mitigate conflict or constitute positive forces for peacebuilding in society.<\/p>\n
Dividers tend to be more obvious than Connectors in contexts of conflict. Dividers are usually flashier, drawing more attention, especially of outsiders. Connectors often go unnoticed for three reasons. First, where there is violence, the danger of the violence focuses attention on it so other factors simply are not recognized or acknowledged. Second, where people are involved in connecting activities in situations of violence, they often fear exposure because it may cause them to become targets of those who would reinforce Dividers. Finally, Connectors remain hidden because so many of them look just like \u201cnormal\u201d life, which is exactly what they are. Normal life is full of subtle connectors and local capacities for peace that maintain functional harmony among neighbors.[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Dividers and Connectors Analysis (DCA)<\/a> Previous Page Lesson 1: Interventions become part of the context<\/a> Related Topics
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\nDCA is a context analysis technique that focuses attention on the key factors that, experience shows, we need to understand in order to think about the impacts on social dynamics of any intervention. Organizing our experience into categories offers the opportunity for greater depth of understanding. People who use Do No Harm have seen that organizing a broad context into these two categories provides significant understanding and insight.<\/p>\n
\nNext Page Lesson 3: Interventions interact with Dividers and Connectors<\/a><\/p>\n
\nLesson 3: Interventions interact with Dividers and Connectors<\/a>
\nLesson 4: Actions and Behaviors have Consequences<\/a>
\nLesson 5: The details of interventions matter<\/a>
\nLesson 6: There are always Options<\/a>
\nDividers and Connectors Analysis<\/a>
\nHow to do a Dividers and Connectors Analysis<\/a><\/p>\n