Kevin Avruch (born the 22 February 1950 in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
and
sociologist, Dean of the
School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution
The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution (formerly known as the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution or S-CAR) is a constituent college
A collegiate university is a university in which functions are divided ...
at
George Mason University. He is the Henry Hart Rice Professor of
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information abo ...
and Professor of
Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
. He received his PhD in anthropology from the University of California, San Diego in 1978, where he also received his MA in anthropology in 1973. He received his AB from the University of Chicago. Dr. Avruch joined the faculty at George Mason University in 1980 after teaching at the University of Illinois and the University of California, San Diego. He has also taught at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies at the University of Malta, the Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego, the United Nations
University for Peace
The University for Peace (UPEACE) is an international university and intergovernmental organization. The university was established as a treaty organisation by the United Nations General Assembly in 1980.
Each year, the University for Peace se ...
in Costa Rica as well as for the Program in Conflict Resolution at
Sabancı University
Sabancı University ( tr, Sabancı Üniversitesi), established in 1994, is a young foundation university located on a 1.26 million squaremeter campus which is about 40 km from Istanbul's city center. Its first students matriculated in 1999. ...
in Istanbul. In 2011 he was a
Fulbright specialist at the
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916 ...
.
Dr. Avruch is notable for his contributions to the developing field of Conflict Analysis and Resolution and has championed the importance of culture in understanding conflict. His work provided a counterbalance to the search for grand theories of human behavior and highlights the need for attending to particularities of culture in conflict analysis and conflict resolution. Together with Peter W. Black, another anthropologist at George Mason University, Avruch critiqued
John Burton's theory of Basic Human Needs, asserting that it needed to recognize the fact that needs are understood and met differently in different cultures.
Notable works
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avruch, Kevin
Writers from Brooklyn
American anthropologists
Living people
1950 births
University of California, San Diego alumni
University of Chicago alumni
George Mason University faculty