Psychological Historian Charles Strozier on the Miracle of the Good Friday Agreement and Lessons for Making a Lasting Peace

About this episode

Charles Strozier discusses the psychological aspects of the Good Friday Agreement and the importance of empathy in the peace process.

Charles Strozier is the author of Making Peace in Northern Ireland: The Miracle of the Good Friday Agreement . In this conversation with Center Director Joseph Lennjon, Strozier discusses his distinctive approach to history—one that blends psychoanalytic insight with political and cultural analysis—to understand how empathy and inner transformation shaped the peace process. Reflecting on decades of scholarship spanning Abraham Lincoln, 9/11, and apocalyptic thought, Strozier traces how his curiosity about the psychology of violence and reconciliation led him to study figures like John Hume, David Trimble, Ian Paisley, and John Alderdice, the key “dramatis personae” of the Good Friday Agreement. Strozier explores the inner lives behind political change—how the painstaking act of listening across divides created what he calls “radical empathy,” making peace possible after generations of sectarian violence. The discussion ranges from the gendered dynamics of the talks to Northern Ireland’s shifting cultural identity in the post-Brexit era, concluding with Strozier’s reflections on hope, healing, and his current work on the psychology of idealization. It’s an illuminating look at how…

People in this episode

Host: Joseph Lennjon

Guest: Charles Strozier

Topics covered

• Good Friday Agreement
• psychology of peace
• radical empathy
• Northern Ireland
• sectarian violence
• cultural identity
• reconciliation

Keywords

• Good Friday Agreement
• Charles Strozier
• psychology
• peace process
• Northern Ireland
• radical empathy
• reconciliation
• sectarian violence
• cultural identity

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Making Peace in Northern Ireland: The Miracle of the Good Friday Agreement

Places: Northern Ireland, Brexit

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