Kevin Avruch (born the 22 February 1950 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, 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, p ...

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

and sociologist, Dean of the

School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of fo ...

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

. 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 (process), conflict and Revenge, retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively co ...

and Professor of

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

. 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 established as a treaty organisation by the United Nations General Assembly in 1980. The university offers postgraduate, doctoral, and executive ...

in Costa Rica as well as for the Program in Conflict Resolution at

Sabancı University Sabancı University () is a private research university that adopts a liberal arts education approach, established in 1994 and located on a 1.26 million squaremeter campus which is about 40 km from Istanbul's city center. Its first students ...

in Istanbul. In 2011 he was a

Fulbright specialist The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...

at the

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

. 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 21st-century American anthropologists Living people 1950 births University of California, San Diego alumni University of Chicago alumni George Mason University faculty