Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution records

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

None

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions on personal use. Permission to publish material from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution Records must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Preferred citation:

Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution records, R0039, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
6 Linear Feet 10 boxes
Creator:
George Mason University. Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution
Abstract:
This collection contains records such as memoranda, correspondence, and publications pertaining to the organization and operation of the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and its predecessor, the Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Both of these entities were precursors to today's Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution (2021-). The ten boxes contain six linear feet of materials dated 1979 to 2008.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution records, R0039, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The materials in this collection describe the establishment and operation of the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) and its predecessor, the Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (CCAR).

Types of materials include: memmoranda, correspondence, newsclippings, budgetary materials, scholarly papers, newsletters, and reports. Topics covered include the creation of conflict analyis programs at George Mason University, the Edwin and Minnie Lynch Lecture Series, conflict analysis and resolution initiatives as described by scholars at George Mason University and the creation of the United States Institute of Peace as aided by members of the faculty at George Mason.

The date range of the materials is 1979-2008. The collection does not contain materials which describe any of the activities of the later iterations of CCAR and ICAR, most notably, the current Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution (2020-).

Biographical / historical:

During the late 1970s, faculty members at George Mason University began exploring the idea of creating an academic program focused specifically on conflict resolution. At the time, no dedicated graduate degree in conflict resolution existed anywhere in the world. The effort was influenced in part by national discussions about creating a U.S. peace academy and by growing interest in alternative approaches to resolving social and international conflicts.

In 1981, Mason established the Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (CCAR), marking the formal beginning of the program under the leadership of Drs. Henry Barringer and Bryant Wedge. The program attracted influential scholars such as John Burton, Louis Kriesberg, James H. Laue, and Kenneth Boulding, whose work helped define modern conflict resolution theory and practice. It began offering a master's degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution in the early 1980s. In 1988, it became the first institution in the world to award PhDs in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. The center was elevated to the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) in 1989. The institute expanded its research, doctoral education, and practical engagement in mediation, peacebuilding, and international conflict intervention.

During the 1990s and 2000s, ICAR gained international recognition for combining scholarship with real-world practice. Its faculty and graduates worked on conflicts ranging from community disputes in the United States to peacebuilding efforts abroad.

In 2011, boasting graduate and undergraduate majors and certificate programs in Conflict Analysis, ICAR was elevated to the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR). This reflected both its size and its status as one of the world's leading institutions devoted exclusively to peace and conflict studies.

In 2020, Mason renamed S-CAR as the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. The change was intended to honor the peacebuilding legacy of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter and to emphasize the school's commitment to peace, human rights, dialogue, and social justice. The renaming took effect on July 1, 2020.

Today, the Carter School operates across Mason's campuses in Fairfax and Arlington and maintains international partnerships and research centers focused on peacebuilding, reconciliation, mediation, genocide prevention, religion and conflict, and community engagement. It remains one of the largest degree-granting institutions in the world dedicated specifically to peace and conflict studies.

Acquisition information:
Materials transferred from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution to Special Collections Research Center between 1990 and 2008.
Processing information:

Collection processed and guide authored by Robert Vay in May 2026.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into eight series:

Series #1. Administrative records Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (CCAR, 1979-1991) and Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR, 1991-2010). Contains records documenting the early years of the above entities, particularly memoranda, correspondence, course information and subject files. These records date from 1979 to 2004. Boxes 1-3.5

Series #2. Brochures for CCAR and ICAR. 1982-2007. Box 3.6-3.17

Series #3. Records pertaining to the Conflict Clinic, Inc. Contains two manuscript reports created by the Conflict Clinic, Inc., a unit within ICAR which practiced dispute-resolution while teaching student practitioners in the program. 1990-1991. Box 3.18-3.19

Series #4. CCAR and ICAR Newsletters and ICAR News. 1989-2008. Box 4

Series #5. ICAR faculty meeting minutes. February 2002-May 2005. Boxes 5 and 6

Series #6. Occasional papers and records pertaining to Edwin and Minnie Lynch Lecture Series. 1987-2002. Box 7.1-7.13

Series #7. Other Occasional papers and monographs produced by ICAR faculty, students and visiting faculty. 1988-2001. Boxes 7.14-7.21 and Box 8

Series #8: Records of Henry Barringer and Bryant Wedge pertaining to the creation of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). Contains materials created and/or obtained by CCR Directors Henry Barringer and Bryant Wedge regarding their participation in the formation of the USIP inclusing: correspondence, general office records, USIP Board of Directors and Executive Committee records, testimonials by key figures and draft by-laws for USIP. 1979-1985. Boxes 9 and 10

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Conflict management