Music has potential as a tool for interfaith peacebuilding by engaging individuals' senses and elevating dialogue beyond intellectual boundaries. The document discusses this framework through the work of Nicolaus of Cusa who proposed three modes of knowing: sense experience, reason, and higher intellect. It also shares the presenter's experience in Israel where they witnessed concerts bringing healing and inspiring renewed peace activism. Challenges to research and future studies on the topic are identified like measuring music's effects and exploring the variety of instruments used.

1. Take it to the Bridge
Using Music as a Bridge for Interfaith Peacebuilding
Sharenda Roam
2013

2. Presentation
• Music as an interfaith Peacebuilding Tool
• Framework – Nicolaus of Cusa: De pace fidei, and ―sense
experience‖ as a mode of knowing or gaining
understanding
• Field Experience - Israel, Summer, 2013
• Challenges and Future Studies

3. Music as an Interfaith Peacebuilding Tool
• Problem: Long history of religious strife between believers
in the Abrahamic traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam
due to exclusivist claims and power struggles
• Dialogue may be aided by using the arts and music.
Because art and music move beyond boundaries of the
intellect they engage an individual’s senses and can
elevate the dialogue or take it in a new direction. With
interfaith arts the conversation can move from
encountering a religion to embracing an individual.
• Research in the field of music and interfaith peacebuilding
is virtually untapped and needs extensive study.

4. Framework
• Nicolaus of Cusa ―Cusanus‖ (1401-1464) - One of
the most important German thinkers of the fifteenth
century, was born in Kues, Germany. He became a
canon lawyer and a cardinal.
• ―De pace fidei‖ written by Cusanus in response to
religious clashes between Christians and Muslims
after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the
Ottomans
 Premise of De pace fidei - Cultivation of harmony
through philosophical and theological ―relationism‖ (not
relativism)

5. There are three modes of knowing/understanding: sense experience,
reason, and higher intellect. Cusanus, De Beryllo
In his study devoted to Cusanus, Harvard professor Karl Jaspers
makes this tripartite sequence a cornerstone of his discussion. Sense
experience aims with all sensory organs at ―real‖ phenomena; reason,
in turn, supplies ―categories (forms, types)‖ for the comprehension of
phenomena, while intellect draws ―through the shipwreck of reason‖
closer to the divine.
―An important aspect of Cusanus’s teaching, according to Jaspers, is
that each of the stages of knowing has its own integrity and significance
in the ascent toward truth. By the same token,
none of the stages is by itself complete or exhaustive; rather, truth can
only be found in the interrelation and interpenetration of stages—a
relation which is not so much a linear sequence as rather a circular
movement (akin to the hermeneutical circle).‖

6. Field
Experience
Israel, 2013

7. Field Experience: Israel
Summer two week visit to Israel where I traveled with Israeli
musician Yuval Ron and his ensemble who gave concerts in
different cities and introduced us to like-minded individuals
doing important peacebuilding work in Jewish and
Palestinian areas. These individuals included musicians,
teachers and activists dedicated to peacebuilding
resolutions. They were from Neve Shalom-Oasis of Peace,
an intentional community jointly established by Jewish and
Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, singers and musicians
from the Hand in Hand School, a school which integrates
and educates Jewish and Arabic children, and the Jerusalem
Interfaith Youth Chorus.

8. Yuval Ron

9. Yuval Ron Ensemble (1:36:39-2:58)

10. Yuval Ron Stories from Concerts
• In one story he tells of a Syrian-American woman that came
up to him after a concert and explained how the concert had
transformed her. Seven months earlier she had been working
in the Palestinian West Bank helping families survive. She
had become filled with hate but described that his concert had
helped her take the first step out of depression and hate
towards peace activism.
• Another story he relates is of two young men who had been
working in Israel with the organization Peace Now. They had
become very discouraged with the Middle East peace process
and had quit all involvement and fund raising with the group.
However, during the concert they felt a guilt that spurred them
to renew their purpose and return to the Middle East to
continue working toward peace. The space that this music
creates moves beyond dialogue and deeper into the will and
hearts of individuals to heal, inspire and motivate.

11. Hand in Hand
Schools
Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel
furthers peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs
through the development of integrated, bilingual and
multicultural schools. At our four schools, the number of
students at each grade level is balanced equally between
Arab and Jewish children. Students at all grade levels are
taught in both Hebrew and Arabic.
Hand in Hand School video Hand in Hand School website

12. Challenges & Future Studies
Challenges:
• How does one measure the effects of music on peacebuilding efforts?
• Limited Research on the topic of music and interfaith peacebuilding
Future Studies:
• Analyze the lyrics of Jewish and Arabic Peacebuilding musical artists
• Explore the variety of ancient instruments chosen by these musical
artists e.g. oud, ney
• Discuss the effects and results of these
musical peacebuilding endeavors
• Research Christian scriptures and ancient texts
on the topic of interfaith peacebuilding
• Women and Peacebuilding

13. Thank you!

14. Sources
• http://jasper-hopkins.info/DeBeryllo12-2000.pdf
• http://jasper-hopkins.info/DePace12-2000.pdf
• http://jasper-hopkins.info/
• http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cusanus/
• http://www.sacpweb.org/SACP-Forum.pdf