Introduction

Abstract

This chapter provides the historical background and intellectual context of the International DRACON Project (1995–2005), from 1992. The project originated in an international peace research collaboration between Sweden and Malaysia. The leaders became alerted to the possibilities of drama as an instrument of conflict transformation, contacting local leaders in drama education in both countries and attending the first International Congress of Drama/Theatre and Education. In spite of the death of the concept’s originator, the drama and conflict specialists in both countries began negotiating a joint project in drama and conflict handling and brought in specialists from two Australian states, South Australia and Queensland, to provide a third international context. This international group resolved to establish an independent research project in our own four locations to investigate the potential of using drama with adolescents in schools for conflict understanding and mediation, through action research backed up by empirical theoretical investigation. We agreed a set of common hypotheses and general research questions, with each project using its own theory, research procedures and practice of conflict transformation and drama education. The chapter concludes with a section describing the structure of the book.