Rethinking Identity and Agency in the Middle East: An Ownviewist Perspective

The Creative Virtue of Humanity: Applying Ownviewism to Conflict Transformation The Middle East has long been a focal point of political rivalry, ideological contention, and socio-cultural complexity. Understanding the roots of these conflicts requires more than surface-level analysis of territorial disputes or geopolitical competition—it demands a deep examination of the emotional, psychological, and narrative forces that drive actors’ behavior. Ownviewism (OV) offers a novel lens to explore these dynamics by focusing on the internal processes shaping individual, collective, and state-level perceptions and actions. It uncovers why actors’ own-views remain locked in cycles of conflict, mistrust, and mutual distraction, and how these cycles can be transformed.