From Victimization to a Culture of Peace: Applying a hybrid conceptual framework to theorize California's victim service organizations as a potential arena for positive peace

Abstract

Every day in American society, acts of violence are committed in the form of trauma, injustice and inequality. Within each victimization looms the potential for further destruction, but also lies an opportunity for healing and a pathway to peace. This thesis considers victim services as the frontline in encountering all forms of latent and overt violence—direct, structural and cultural. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the capacity of victim service organizations in fostering positive peace by treating direct violence, overcoming structural violence and challenging cultural violence through their services. This inquiry entails a close examination of the services available to victims of violent crime in California, analyzed for patterns and trends reflecting current State and community approaches to victimization. A mixed methods approach is employed for this purpose, producing an exhaustive database profiling all victim service organizations in the state of California for analysis through descriptive statistics and content analysis. A hybrid conceptual framework of peace and victimization studies is applied to the findings of the database in order to theorize victim service organizations as potential positive peacebuilding forums.