Dialogue for peace: the production of knowledge and norms between international practices and local ownership in Ukraine

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article scrutinises an attempt by Ukrainian dialogue practitioners to produce a set of norms guiding the conduct and funding of dialogue initiatives as a means of peacebuilding in post-2014 Ukraine. Drawing on critical constructivist approaches to the study of norm creation and transfer, the article uncovers the interplay between local and international actors behind this attempt, traces the processes of knowledge and norm production, and examines the extent to which the norms advocated for by dialogue practitioners were appropriated by the affected stakeholders. The study challenges the conception of local actors as receivers of internationally promoted norms and showcases the agency of Ukrainian dialogue practitioners in norm initiation. Simultaneously, it nuances the complex interconnectedness between the multiplicity of domestic and international actors involved in this process and thus adds to the literature questioning the oversimplification embedded in the dichotomy of the local vs. the international in peace research.