A Systemic Understanding of Hybrid Peace: An Examination of Hybrid Political Orders in African Peace Governance

Abstract

The idea of hybrid peace has gained prominence in both academic and policy literature, yet ongoing debates fail to explicitly address a key lacuna concerning the relationship between hybrid political orders and the enhancement of traditional peacemaking in the Global South. Using an integrative governance framework, this article examines the notion of hybridity from grassroots to regional peace practices in Africa. It argues that the efficacy and sustenance of traditional African peacemaking could be enhanced if a customary peace practice is systemically integrated with liberal procedures and that discussions on hybridity will gain more value and meaning if the debates (re)center on unpacking hybridity at key governance arenas/stages—and the implications for a national and international order. The article thus attempts to provoke a new conversation that disaggregates the possibilities, dilemmas, and implications of hybrid orders from grassroots through regional to a global level and what it contributes to future peacebuilding.