Building bridges after a riot: Talking toward mutual understanding following Charlottesville

This chapter explores opportunities for conversation that seek to foster mutual understanding in polarized situations. To reach this common ground, we traced how bridging occurred interactively after the riots in Charlottesville (Virginia, USA) between individuals and groups with different backgrounds and identities. We examined two of a series of dialogues that were held by the Listen First Project in Charlottesville. This project featured participants working together to move toward healing and reconciliation on the divisive topic of race. Drawing lessons from the particular situation in Charlottesville, this chapter illustrates how building bridges through talk contributes to develop trust and relationships across divides (bridging social capital) and thereby fosters social cohesion and inclusion.