Post-conflict Contexts Research Articles

Speaking up and Being Heard: Local Participation and Influence in Kenya and Lebanon

In recent years, the view that peacebuilding is essentially local has gained traction. Debates in the field of development research point to the potential of participation and influence for promoting effective, appropriate and legitimate developments, but post-conflict contexts offer additional challenges. Here, societal divisions infiltrate the local level and its policy-making, and participation does not necessarily offer answers to issues of voice and inclusion. This article compares participation and influence in Kenya and Lebanon, two deeply divided post-conflict countries. The study has three main findings: there are possibilities for local communities to participate in local decision-making; inclusion and ability to influence local decision-making depends on personal status; and local decision-making bodies are influenced by national dividing lines, and local participation and influence risk replicating conflictual divisions. Therefore, while participation and influence in local decision-making in post-conflict contexts is possible for some, it risks promoting further exclusion of those already marginalised, thus hindering efforts to consolidate peace and development.

Andean Women's Persistence Amidst Racialized Gendered Impoverishment, Capitalist Incursions, and Post-conflict Hauntings.

Throughout the last four decades, Andean women from the highland communities of Peru have been significantly affected by ongoing neoliberal capitalist development and patriarchal structures. These intersecting violence(s) took on more horrific dimensions during the Peruvian armed conflict (1980–2000) and have contributed to multiple psychosocial sequelae that linger in the daily lives on these communities as “ghostly matters.” Seeking to face these experiences in a context of ongoing material impoverishment, Andean women from highland communities have initiated multiple associations or economic collective projects. The authors accompanied a group of women who formed a knitting association and facilitated a feminist participatory action research (FPAR), creating opportunities through which these women could engage in action-reflection processes toward enhancing their association. Twelve women from this FPAR process agreed to be interviewed by the first author who sought to explore their understandings about the processes of forming their association in this post-conflict context and the challenges they were facing. Interview transcripts were analyzed using Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory coding strategy. The findings reveal multiple challenges for women’s collaborative work created by ongoing racialized gendered violence and its intra- and interpersonal effects. Moreover, the findings confirmed that capitalist development dynamics, and, more particularly, resources introduced by agents from outside the community, bring both gains and losses for Andean women. The latter reported having learned skills that allowed them to better insert themselves in a market economy, but that these new activities were displacing more community-based Indigenous practices and traditions. Finally, this study reveals that the wounds created by the armed conflict generated multiple forms of silence that prevent Andean peasants from openly expressing their desires. Despite this, the women in this FPAR process and participants in these interviews are engaging in action-based responses through which they are overcoming some of these challenges and sustaining their association. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for mental health professionals and activist-scholars working with Indigenous communities affected by armed conflict by underscoring the limitations of interventions based exclusively on the spoken word and arguing for action-based approaches that draw on bottom-up knowledge and practices.

Local approaches to climate-sensitive peacebuilding: lessons from Afghanistan

Since the early 2010s, academic and policy debates about the interlinkages between climate and security have expanded and deepened. Climate is now widely acknowledged to magnify security risks especially in conflict or post-conflict contexts. This relationship is viewed as complex, dynamic and indirect, involving a wide range of intermediate variables. However, this discussion – and hence, related policy efforts – have tended to occur at highly aggregate levels of analysis, especially national, regional and global ones. Instead, this paper addresses climate-sensitive peacebuilding at the local level. What does local climate-sensitive peacebuilding look like on the ground? What are the promising areas for research and policy responses in fragile and conflict-affected settings? After offering a broad overview of climate-sensitive peacebuilding, we focus on the case of Afghanistan, drawing on specific examples that were in place prior to the 2021 return to power of the Taliban. We find that the traditional Western approach in the country – top-down, focused on hard security rather than human security and highly state-centric – tends to ignore the impacts of climate change. In addition, the dominant security paradigm overlooks the potential of local peacebuilding initiatives that address adaptation and resilience. We argue that climate-sensitive peacebuilding offers a bottom-up alternative to addressing the intersection of these risks in conflict-affected settings.

Community-building through political cartoons in Kenya, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire

This paper arises from a research project at the University of Leicester, led by Dr Fransiska Louwagie and Dr Di Levine, in collaboration with a broader team of research associates, in particular Drs James Illingworth and Sarah Weidman. The project built on external partnerships with Cartooning for Peace, an international organisation of press cartoonists, and Shout Out UK, an award-winning platform for political and media literacy. The project was funded by the University of Leicester’s Global Challenges Research Fund. It aimed to examine how political cartoons can foster dialogue and exchange in conflict or post-conflict contexts, particularly amongst young people. As a visual medium relying on humour, cartooning has the power to present critical questions in an open and non-threatening manner, triggering dialogue and meaning-making. In line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 the project therefore set out to investigate how political cartoons can help to negotiate local and global tensions and how they engage audiences with conceptions and definitions of community and humanity. It aimed to shed new light on the question of how political cartooning can help to address challenges in (post-)conflict societies, where there is a recognised need for community-driven resilience building. Relating to this, through its focus on press cartoons, it sought to raise awareness of the need for access and freedom of information (SDG 16.10). Following an open call for projects, a commission was made for four series of workshops by external partners working in conflict-and post-conflict situations, in Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa (see appendix for detailed aims of the call).

Discontinuation of the maternal death surveillance and response system in the post‐conflict context of the Central African Republic

In the post-conflict context of the Central African Republic, underreporting of maternal deaths in health facilities has occurred. There are no guidelines in place for operational or intermediate levels. There are no review or audit committees within the health facilities, districts, or regions, or at the national level. Only three hospitals have an informal review committee. Implementing the MDSR system is not an easy task, especially in Africa, which has surveillance systems that remain fragile and inefficient. Conflict situations have affected the system, and the lack of optimal funding does not enable ideal implementation of these intervention strategies.

المساعدة القانونية لحقوق المرأة في السكن والأراضي والملكية في الجمهورية العربية السورية

This paper aims to enhance the understanding of the Women’s Housing, Land and Property (HLP) Rights in Syria as a crucial pillar to ensure social and economic development and increase the enjoyment of human rights. The paper explores two perspectives to address women’s HLP needs: gender and legal aid services. It also addresses challenges in accessing land that women face in prescribed gender roles, unequal power dynamics, and traditional norms that deny women the chance to access land adequately. To this end, the paper presents the results of desk reviews of the national and international studies that revealed the importance of addressing HLP Rights of women in the post-conflict context to prevent increasing poverty and vulnerability faced by women although it has not focused on the Syrian context directly. The paper provides an analysis of the legal framework used to support interventions on the access to HLP rights by displaced Syrian women. Contrary to what has been assumed, the laws alone are insufficient to guarantee equal access to HLP Rights, when structural gender inequality compromises women’s HLP Rights. This paper may constitute the object of future studies that could investigate the association between HLP Rights and sustainable development. A complex and inclusive approach needs to be adopted by engaging the relevant authorities, community, and international organisations to promote gender justice in addressing women’s HLP Rights and contribute to peacebuilding, sustainable return and reinforcing the rule of law.

Towards a better understanding of intimate partner violence in Cote d'Ivoire for policy interventions

Background/Aims Intimate partner violence is a critical and global public health issue affecting many women, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies from sub-Saharan African nations both during and post-conflict reveal an increasing risk of violence against women. Cote d'Ivoire is a West African nation that encountered multiple conflicts from 2002–2011. This study aimed at examining the underlying factors influencing violence against women in a post-conflict context. Methods A study was conducted using the cross-sectional survey data from the 2012 Cote d'Ivoire Demographic Health Survey. The outcome variable was any intimate partner violence. The predictor variables were sociodemographic characteristics of women, economic opportunities and partner-related characteristics. Three multivariate logistic regression models were performed, and odds ratios with a confidence interval of 95% were estimated. Results Just over 30% of respondents in the sample (3500) had experienced intimate partner violence. Respondents' age, religion, wealth index, residency and region were significantly related to violence. A partner's education level, alcohol consumption and polygamy status were also significantly associated with intimate partner violence. However, the results also indicated that women's level of education, occupation and decision-making on large purchases were not associated with intimate partner violence. Conclusions In Cote d'Ivoire, policymakers should consider risk factors for intimate partner violence and design interventions based on the ecological model to prevent it.

The ‘marketplace of post‐conflict assistance’ in northern Uganda and beyond

This paper puts forward the framework of the 'marketplace of post-conflict assistance' as a conceptual, analytical, and heuristic tool to comprehend better holistic dynamics in humanitarian and post-conflict contexts, where a variety of different actors offer various services and forms of assistance. It seeks to emphasise relations and interactions between service providers and intended beneficiaries in settings where there are often numerous different ways to conceptualise and manage problems stemming from armed conflict. This is demonstrated using one in-depth case study of a family in northern Uganda that has struggled for years with mental illness/spiritual problems. By framing the post-conflict space using the marketplace metaphor, it is possible to deepen understanding of how people try out different options to manage issues related to warfare and seek healing. Importantly, this framework also recognises the agency that people exercise in doing so, and how communities and service providers relate to each other.

How journalists do memory work with numbers: The case of the 220,000 deaths during the Colombian conflict (1958–2012)

This paper explores the relationship between memory, journalism and numbers. It does so through a case study that examines how the Colombian news media reported on a particular figure during a peace negotiation: the 220,000 people who died because of the armed conflict in Colombia. The number was produced by the National Centre for Historical Memory in 2013 in a comprehensive report about the ravages of the Colombian conflict (1958–2012). Following a mix-method approach – a quantitative content analysis and a thematic analysis of the news articles – we find that the way in which journalists reported on the figure contradicts two key aspects of the report. While the report rejects an ‘official memory’ of the conflict for one that is more open to political and social debate, one characterised less by ‘closed truths’, the news reports treated the number as a fact and very rarely provided a form of contestation to it. Moreover, while the report emphasises the need for clarification over distortion and concealment when constructing memory, the news articles misrepresented those accountable for the casualties: Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) was consistently positioned as the main illegal armed organisation responsible for the death toll. This representation ran counter to the findings from the report that emphasised the way paramilitary groups, rather than guerrilla groups (e.g. FARC), were more responsible for the killings. Considering our findings, we argue that an adherence to accuracy by journalists is more desirable than a practice of vagueness in the contribution to memory formation in post-conflict contexts.

Interreligious Dialogue in Croatia

The aim of this article is to present the situation and various factors related to interreligious dialogue in Croatia. The article is divided into four parts. Firstly, the author briefly elaborates on the historical and geopolitical context of Croatia. That is followed by a presentation of data on national minorities and religious communities in Croatia and a reflection on their legal and social status. The third part outlines various bodies involved in interreligious dialogue at the state, religious and academic levels, as well as at the level of independent associations and organizations. The final part delivers a brief overview of significant initiatives in the field of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, which are often linked in Croatia. The author concludes that interreligious dialogue in Croatia has great potential and that further efforts are still needed in the development of ecumenical and interreligious awareness and cooperation, due to the theological and moral imperatives of religion itself and the goal of building peaceful and harmonious coexistence in a post-conflict context that characterizes Croatia and this part of Europe.

Collective violence and the culture of peace: researching the social psychology of memory and social reconciliation

This monograph aims to disseminate the results of various research studies carried out in the field of social and community psychology. The studies focus on efforts to build a culture of peace in post-conflict contexts and societies that have suffered collective and socio-political violence, with multiple and persistent human rights violations. Six studies on the psychosocial effects of transitional justice rituals from Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Basque country, Chile, and Ecuador compose this issue. This issue presents a series of results regarding the effects of reparation rituals and Truth Commissions, combining different methods and analysis strategies, including general population surveys, newspaper and social media content analysis, community intervention assessments and qualitative documentary analysis. Finally, two review books were included. First, a Peace Psychology Book that explores the implications and difficulties faced by societies that have experienced large-scale collective violence. Second, the problem of human rights violations and how to confront them, socio-political conflicts and the building of a culture of democracy and peace in Latin America are transversal axes of the chapters of this second book.

Advancing the Rule of Law and Human Rights Protection through United Nations Mandated Mechanisms

Over the past fifteen years, the international community has increasingly relied upon United Nations mandated mechanisms comprising commissions of inquiry, fact- finding missions, and investigations to help address gross violations of human rights and the often blatant disregard for the rule of law during periods of civil unrest, conflict, and post-conflict contexts. The primary reason for why this approach has been preferred centres upon the fact that achieving accountability through internationally mandated tribunals and prosecutions is not only difficult to realize but further complicated due to realpolitik permeating among relevant international decision- making structures. For example, to activate meaningful judicial accountability at the international level, agreement amongst the highest echelons of the United Nations vis- a- vis a Security Council resolution is required to mandate an accountability mechanism. Indeed, even a referral to the permanent International Criminal Court underpinned by the Rome Statute requires a Security Council referral for non- State parties. The complexity of activating these measures, however, has served to ensure the continuation of numerous protracted armed conflicts – characterized by the perpetration of atrocity crimes, violations of international humanitarian law, and violations and abuses of human rights – to the detriment of millions of civilians worldwide. This contribution finds that the Commissions of Inquiry on Syria and Libya have been able to advance the rule of law and the protection of human rights by investigating and reporting publicly on findings by all parties to these respective conflicts, in particular on atrocity crimes, violations of international humanitarian law, and violations and abuses of human rights perpetrated by non- State actors. Both Commissions have taken similar positions on the application of human rights to non- State actors, in that non- State actors that cannot formally become parties to international human rights treaties must nevertheless respect the fundamental human rights of persons in areas where such actors exercise de facto control. The contribution continues by exploring the roles of the Commissions of Inquiry for Syria and Libya in the general quest for prevention: i.e., can the establishment of these mechanisms deter belligerents from perpetrating abuses of human rights and disregarding the rule of law? The article argues that if UN- mandated mechanisms – including commissions of inquiry, fact- finding missions, and investigations – are well supported, especially when concerned States grant such bodies protected access on the ground, they can significantly act as a deterrent and contribute to the respect for human rights and the rule of law. This may be achieved particularly through their cooperation and sharing with accountability bodies and the documentation and preservation of evidence collected.

Perdamaian atau Keadilan? Transformasi untuk Perempuan di Wilayah Konflik dan Pascakonflik di Papua dan Aceh

In conflict or post-conflict contexts, women experience layered violence: both daily and structural. The two main approaches commonly used in studies and programs in both contexts are peace and transitional justice. Both give a focus on violence experienced by women, but are not sufficient to provide analysis and solutions to the occurrence of structural injustice experienced by women. This paper is a reflection of the long journey of the author’s involvement in both approaches. The main question of this paper is: how can peace and transitional justice provide solutions to transform structural injustices experienced by women in conflict and post-conflict areas? Where to start?

Review: A Slow Burning Fire: The Rise of the New Art Practice in Yugoslavia, by Marko Ilić

Book Review| December 01 2021 Review: A Slow Burning Fire: The Rise of the New Art Practice in Yugoslavia, by Marko Ilić A Slow Burning Fire: The Rise of the New Art Practice in Yugoslavia by Marko Ilić. MIT Press, 2021. 384 pp./$39.95 (hb). Joscelyn Jurich Joscelyn Jurich Joscelyn Jurich is a writer and PhD candidate in communications at Columbia University, where her research focuses on cultural production in conflict and post-conflict contexts, including the former Yugoslavia. Her writing and research on photography and film has appeared in Afterimage, Journal of Visual Culture, Studies in Documentary Film, and Performing Human Rights: Contested Amnesia and Aesthetic Practices in the Global South, edited by Liliana Gómez (2021). Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Afterimage (2021) 48 (4): 75–81. https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2021.48.4.75 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Joscelyn Jurich; Review: A Slow Burning Fire: The Rise of the New Art Practice in Yugoslavia, by Marko Ilić. Afterimage 1 December 2021; 48 (4): 75–81. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2021.48.4.75 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAfterimage Search A still from Marina Abramović’s performance piece Rhythm 5 (1973–74) is the compelling and apposite cover image of art historian Marko Ilić’s A Slow Burning Fire: The Rise of the New Art Practice in Yugoslavia, a social history of the New Art Practice and related arts collectives that emerged from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s in the capitals of the federation. In the piece, described by Abramović as “the ritualization of the communist five-point star,” and first performed at the Students’ Cultural Center (Studentski Kulturni Centar, or SKC) in Belgrade in 1974, a large five-pointed star made out of wood and wood chips and soaked in petrol becomes a sacrificial frame.1 Abramović sets fire to the star, transforming the wood into a red-orange blaze that creates an illuminated version of the red star that adorned the center of the Yugoslav flag, added by the Partisans after World War... You do not currently have access to this content.

Analysing a non-IR field through IR lenses. Education in post-conflict Kosovo

AbstractThe paper argues that education is relevant for both domestic and international reasons and without an incorporation of the international within the national it is not possible to understand education's changes and transformations in post-conflict and conflict-affected contexts. The paper aims to connect the local to the global by investigating their dynamic interaction through the peculiar lenses of international assistance to education reform in post-conflict Kosovo. It asks two questions: (1) how do global agendas of peace and security affect education reforms in conflict-affected contexts? and (2) how does education reform in conflict-affected contexts interacts with and is related to broader, international dynamics, processes, and actors? More specifically, the paper analyses the role of international actors in traditionally national sectors and the multi-layered, hybrid governance of education reform within a broader statebuilding, peacebuilding, and stabilization perspective. The analysis is divided into two empirical instances: (i) education for liberal multicultural peace (1999–2013) and (ii) education against violent extremism and radicalization (2014–2019). The paper sheds light on the globalization and securitization of education as well as the changing forms and practice of statehood and sovereignty in times of post-war-reconstruction and fragility. A threat-containment and security-based logic has dictated priorities and determined choices in education reform and content.

Life after violence in North India: Islamic relief organizations and transactional relationships in a plural humanitarian space

AbstractReligious humanitarianism is often closely scrutinized, as it is either viewed as exerting a positive influence in post-conflict contexts—through peace-building and sense-making—or a negative one—through proselytism and division. This article contends that both these (negative and positive) perspectives on the role played by religious organizations overemphasize, to a certain extent, their transformative power in post-conflict contexts, at least in the short term. Based on ethnographic fieldwork with both Islamic and non-confessional humanitarian organizations supporting internally displaced people—victims of anti-Muslim violence in Muzaffarnagar, India—I suggest that the inherent plurality and competitive dimension of the humanitarian field leads to a form of transactional relationship between displaced people and organizations and tends to reduce the importance of ideological differences between organizations. Paying attention to this particularity of the humanitarian field and how displaced people deal with it can provide us with a better understanding of the actual influence of religious humanitarianism in post-conflict contexts.

Values that strengthen the relationship of sports and citizenship in the colombian post-conflict

The objective of this article was to relate the exercise of citizenship with the practice of sports in the Colombian post-conflict context. The methodology used was documentary research. The result was that it is possible from such a combination to promote values that help improve coexistence, based on the principles of respect for others, tolerance, and the exercise of solidarity. It is concluded that such a combination is a way of contributing to peace in Colombia, during the post-conflict period that the country is currently experiencing. This article addresses how sport can contribute to the consolidation of a new exercise of citizenship, understanding that the teacher, regardless of their specific knowledge, is called to promote the exercise of citizenship in a democratic and free way among their students, to knowing that the values that each sport demands go hand in hand with those that are required for the democratic exercise.

Educators’ Perceptions and Curriculum History in Somalia

This study analysed the connection between educators’ perceptions and curriculum history of secondary schools in Somalia. With the utilisation of descriptive research design, a self administered questionnaire and an interview guide were employed to collect information which was used to achieve the specific objective of assessing the effect of educators’ perceptions on curriculum history of secondary schools in Somalia . The study adopted a mixed methods paradigm with descriptive research design , quantitative and qualitative approaches. A sample of 300 participants were chosen using Slovene’s formula. Data was collected using survey questionnaire and interview schedule and analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test for quantitative data and thematic sythesis was used for analyzing qualitative data .The study findings established a significant relationship between educators’ perceptions and curriculum history of secondary schools in Somalia . The study concluded by proposing a model that can assist policy-makers in Somalia to change current history curricula to construct one that supports a Somalia national identity . From the study findings, the researcher recommended that using a humanistic approach to curriculum evaluation in post-conflict contexts may help teachers to explore people’s perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs.

From Global to Local

The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, conducted an independence referendum in 2019, which resulted in the region seeking a pathway to complete independence. One of the requirements in establishing independence is ensuring “good governance,” an important facet of which is establishing a stable and adequate food supply. This is framed globally as achieving Sustainable Development Goal Two (SDG #2) to end hunger and malnutrition. This article seeks to assess the measures that government and major donors have taken to implement SDG #2 in Bougainville using a pressure-state-response framework and desktop-based risk assessment to identify areas for further work. The investigation aims to identify effective policy focus areas in order to better implement SDG #2, namely, prioritising civil conflict avoidance, facilitating adaptation planning for climate regime shifts, and ensuring sustainable agricultural intensity and fisheries extraction. Based on these, recommendations for good governance include sustainable and equitable long-term interventions that reduce the risk of political disturbance and environmental degradation. As a result of engaging in this case, readers will be able to apply similar methodologies to inform development decisions in postconflict contexts. Bougainville faces similar challenges to many Pacific islands, including the impacts from climate change, food insecurity, conflict, population growth, and changing land tenure. This case can be extrapolated to these greater contexts.

Epidemiology of suicidal behaviours amongst school-going adolescents in post-conflict Sierra Leone

BackgroundChildren and young people living in post-conflict contexts are at an increased risk of suicidal behaviours (ideations and attempts). Not much is known about the extent of suicidal behaviours amongst adolescents in most notable post-conflict countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Sierra Leone. MethodsWe performed a secondary analysis of data from the 2017 Sierra Leone World Health Organisation Global School-based Student Health Survey conducted amongst students in secondary schools nationwide. We estimated the 12-month prevalence and performed bivariable and multivariable analyses to assess the correlates of suicidal behaviours. ResultsOf the 2,798 analytic sample, 14.6% (males = 15.1%, females = 14.0%) reported suicidal ideation, and the 12-month prevalence estimate of suicide attempt was 19.6% (male = 20.9%, females =17.8%). The factors associated with suicidal behaviours were multi-layered. While no statistically significant gender association with suicide ideation or attempt was observed at the personal level, being aged 18 or older, loneliness, and health risk behaviours (cannabis use, and leisure time sedentary behaviour) were associated with increased odds of suicidal behaviours. Within the family context, parental monitoring was associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation, but parental supervision was associated with reduced odds of suicide ideation. LimitationsThe cross-sectional nature of the data did not support causal inferences. ConclusionsTaken together, professional mental healthcare would be helpful in treating adolescent emotional problems (e.g., depression and loneliness) related to suicidal behaviours; but prevention and intervention programmes targeted at addressing adolescent health risk behaviours, and familial and interpersonal problems may yield more favourable outcomes.