Daniel Rothbart

Daniel Rothbart is the Druscilla French Chair in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University.  He currently serves as the director of the peace lab called Polarization and Violence Transformed. Professor Rothbart’s academic writings include 10 authored and edited book as well as 70 articles and chapters in scholarly journals.  Through his publications and peace-making practices, he delves deeply into the underbelly of protracted violent conflicts to reveal why and how otherwise peaceful communities resort to large-scale violence against their adversaries.  He has produced detailed case studies of conflicts in Africa, Asia and the United States. His most recent book publication, State Domination and the Psycho-Politics of Conflict, examines the source of conflicts in the destructive power of governmental forces to manipulate the minds of low power groups for purposes of systemic control. In his book Violent Conflict and Peacebuilding: The Continuing Crisis in Darfur (co-authored), he examines the genocidal violence that occurred in the Darfur region of Sudan, which is a country ravaged by many wars since its independence in 1956. His book Civilians and Modern War: Armed Conflict and the Ideology of Violence (co-authored) examines the tragically routine devastation civilians who are often targeted by military forces.  Informed by these studies, he has engaged in many peace-making projects, such as leading a team of investigators of human rights violations and in another project serving as co-manager of a conflict resolution process to prevent the outbreak of large-scale violence. His research and practice has been supported by the U. S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, Templeton Foundation, El Hibri Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies and George Mason University. He is currently writing a book on civilian devastation in Sudan and another book on violent extremism in the U.S. Professor Rothbart received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Washington University, St. Louis, and began his academic career at George Mason University. He also served as visiting research scholar at University of Oxford, Cambridge University and Dartmouth College.

Honors and Awards

• Excellence in Teaching 2007, Office of the Provost, George Mason University
• Series co-editor: Ethnic Conflict: Studies in Nationality, Race, and Culture, University of Michigan Press
• Member, Board of Trustees, World Peace and Reconciliation
• Member, Global Advisory Board, Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies University

Media Appearances

• School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution Adeeb Yusif speaking about the Darfur Crisis
  October 16, 2012

In the News

• Ideology and Cultural Violence in Darfur
  Published on October 18, 2016
  Full article

Degrees

• PhD, Philosophy, Washington University
• MA, Philosophy, State University of New York at Binghamton