Presenter(s): Courtney DeRoche
Advisor: Holly Brehm (Sociology)
The decade-long conflict in Darfur, Sudan has resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and an even greater number of displaced refugees. Though numerous governmental officials and scholars debate the appropriate response to the crisis, little is known about how those victimized by the violence think the situation should be remedied. In light of this, my research seeks to understand how Darfuri people think peace should be achieved and, specifically, how their opinions about the solution to the conflict are influenced by their exposure to violence. I will draw upon survey data from 24 Hours for Darfur, a nongovernmental organization that has specifically tasked itself with promoting peace in Darfur. Over the course of two years, 24 Hours surveyed a random sampling of approximately 2,200 refugees living in twelve different refugee camps in eastern Chad. To analyze these data, I employed quantitative techniques using the survey data and STATA, a quantitative analysis program. At this point in time, I do not have any preliminary results but I will have results by the Denman Forum. Since these results will draw upon surveys from the Darfuri people, the research is essential to understanding the attitudes of those Darfuri civilians who experienced the violence, thereby promoting justice in the truest sense.