Sebastian Junger with WBT’s Drew Pham on “Tribe”

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How can a society so disconnected from its wars welcome back its fighting women and men? What do we lose when we privilege individuality over collectivity? WBT Writer Drew Pham joined in a panel discussion with Sebastian Junger on his book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, alongside Columbia University Professors Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Peter Coleman. Venera Kusari of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program at Columbia moderated.

Watch the recorded discussion below:

Sebastian Junger is the New York Times Bestselling author of The Perfect StormFire, A Death in Belmont, War and Tribe.  As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a special correspondent at ABC News, he has covered major international news stories around the world, and has received both a National Magazine Award and a Peabody Award. Junger is also a documentary filmmaker whose debut film Restrepo, a feature-length documentary (co-directed with Tim Hetherington), was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.   

Dr. Peter T. Coleman specializes in the field of conflict resolution and sustainable peace. Dr. Coleman holds a Ph.D. in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, where he today serves as Professor of Psychology and Education. He directs the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Teachers College, and is the Executive Director of the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity at the Earth Institute. 

Dr. Beth Fisher-Yoshida is a faculty member and the academic director of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program, Director of the Youth, Peace and Security program and Co-Executive Director of AC4, all at Columbia University. Dr. Fisher-Yoshida teaches classes in conflict resolution and related fields and conducts participatory action research, and research in the areas of conflict and conflict resolution with a focus on intercultural communication, transformative learning and Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM). She i received her Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California.

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Drew Pham

Drew Pham is a queer, transgender writer of Vietnamese heritage. A child of war refugees, her work centers on legacies of violence in times of conflict. She has published in Blunderbuss Magazine, McSweeny's, Slice Magazine, Foreign Policy, Time Magazine, The Daily Beast, and Columbia Journal, among others. She lives with her two cats in Brooklyn, NY, and serves as an adjunct English lecturer at CUNY Brooklyn College.

4 Comments
  1. Mr. Drew I read your article "….America Feels Like a Foreign Country". There is no doubt that you have a good heart and thank you for your service. However, your article is somewhat misleading and speculative. America, like almost other allies, continue to lead the way welcoming legal immigrants. And you should know this as a 10th M Warrior, we have the obligation to safeguard our citizens here in the home-front. Fact: it's not a Muslim ban. We are receiving Muslims immigrants constantly. Is it a painful and frustrating process? Yes it is. There are other assumptions that you made that are far distinct from the facts. I don't remember the last time an Asian immigrant blew up a gathering here at home in support of extremist Islam. Again, God bless you and thank you for your service. V/R  rangeralex6@yahoo.com  

    1. Hi Alex,

      Thanks for your comments. Regarding the article, I can only report what I've seen. As a personal essay, it is categorically subjective. 

      That being said, I hope that you were able to get more from my piece than the politics of the Muslim ban. The stories of refugees are vital to the fabric of American society. 

      Climb to Glory!

      Drew

      1. Hi Drew,

        I agree about the fabrics. Having been in the Army currently for 30 years of active service, that's one of the reasons I do it.

        However, the facts show that is not a Muslim Ban. It is a necessary vetting to ensure our protection from questionable countries. There are many other Muslim countries where reliable systems are emplaced to assure higher reliance on security and vetting. 

        Thank you Drew 

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