Where do we go from here? Conceptualising Peace Research

Project Summary:

The way we think and practice peacebuilding remains lodged in 20th century ideas and practices, while the way war is waged has shifted dramatically over the last three decades, as hybrid warfare and polycrises drive forward the nature of war and its consequences, particularly on civilians. Beyond conventional forms of warfare, environmental conflict, the gender impacts of political violence, cyber warfare, the political / criminal violence nexus, drone and technologically contingent warfare, piracy, to name a few, have emerged as forms of violence that states and societies are struggling to address in an effective and sustainable manner. Given that approximately half of peace processes collapse within five to ten years after a peace agreement has been signed, and, when they do not relapse, the quality of peace in post-conflict societies is poor, it is time to ask ourselves whether our theorisation of and practice in peacebuilding need a major overhaul. This question is of particular relevance given emerging authoritarian practices in so-called established democracies, the clear signal at a global level that states are preparing for war rather than investing in peace, and the inability of existing international and national architecture to bring an end to recent wars in Europe and the Middle East.   

Within this context, this project addresses the overarching question of Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Theory and Practice: where do we go from here?  

Towards this purpose this project brings together two teams of researchers at the University of Bristol and the University of Notre Dame who have a sustained and successful record of interdisciplinary collaboration. The team will explore the intersection of the three axes of 1) peace research, 2) peacebuilding practice and 3) histories and legacies of violences, taking in a propositional manner the foundational aspects of peace studies as they relate to teaching and pedagogy. From this point, the team will consider implications for research methodologies and peacebuilding practice, in this manner aiming to contribute to the further theorisation of the field and shape innovations in peacebuilding policy and practice. As such, the policy implications of the project are significant and the team will develop recommendations for policy out of their combined research.