Project

Local Peace Initiatives; Reconciliation; Democratic Republic of Congo; Local Ownership; Peacebuilding

Lead
Lay summary
The research project treats the significance, the implications and the potential of what is called the “local dimension” in international peacebuilding programs. Theoretically, it is located within the various strands of critical debates about peacebuilding ranging from the critiques of “liberal peacebuilding” to the supporters of communitarian approaches. Politically, it follows the post-1992 Agenda for Peace debates about the potential and limitations of international peacebuilding. Methodologically, it aims at confronting macro-level policy reasoning with field-based data gathered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “Local ownership” has become a frequently used term both in research and in policy. It refers to the extent to which domestic actors control the design and the implementation of political processes, which includes peacebuilding processes. While the connotation of the term is generally positive, its precise meaning and its implications in practice remain largely under-defined and under-researched. The dissertation is structured around three propositions, namely (1) that the sustainability of peace largely depends upon the way in which local actors and institutions are brought into peacebuilding initiatives, (2) that understanding the interactions between local and international actors as well as promoting a well designed and structured relationship between them increases the effectiveness of peacebuilding programs, and (3) that a proper understanding of the different symbolic and cultural perspectives of peacebuilding actors facilitates the coordination of efforts to effectively build peace. The propositions are worked through in the framework of a PhD-Thesis looking at the implications of the absence or integration of local perspectives in reconciliation programs on the relations between antagonistic communities in a post-conflict society (the DRC). The general assumption of the study is that an effective cooperation between international and local actors enhances the probability that peacebuilding will be successful in the long run, i.e. that the respective populations will not return to organized violence.

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Last update: 21.02.2013

Active participation

Active participation

Self-organised

Communication	Title	Media	Place	Year

The research project treats the significance, the implications and the potential of what is called the “local dimension” in international peacebuilding programs. Theoretically, it is located within the various strands of critical debates about peacebuilding ranging from the critiques of “liberal peacebuilding” to the supporters of communitarian approaches. Politically, it follows the post-1992 Agenda for Peace debates about the potential and limitations of international peacebuilding. Methodologically, it aims at confronting macro-level policy reasoning with field-based data gathered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “Local ownership” has become a frequently used term both in research and in policy. It refers to the extent to which domestic actors control the design and the implementation of political processes, which includes peacebuilding processes. While the connotation of the term is generally positive, its precise meaning and its implications in practice remain largely under-defined and under-researched. The dissertation is structured around three propositions, namely (1) that the sustainability of peace largely depends upon the way in which local actors and institutions are brought into peacebuilding initiatives, (2) that understanding the interactions between local and international actors as well as promoting a well designed and structured relationship between them increases the effectiveness of peacebuilding programs, and (3) that a proper understanding of the different symbolic and cultural perspectives of peacebuilding actors facilitates the coordination of efforts to effectively build peace. The propositions are worked through in the framework of a PhD-Thesis looking at the implications of the absence or integration of local perspectives in reconciliation programs on the relations between antagonistic communities in a post-conflict society (the DRC). The general assumption of the study is that an effective cooperation between international and local actors enhances the probability that peacebuilding will be successful in the long run, i.e. that the respective populations will not return to organized violence.The project extends over a period of three years. The current proposal concerns an extended field visit in the DRC (1 year, with 2 months interruption for data analysis / research strategy assessment in Switzerland), during which the researcher will be affiliated with the University of Bunia, Ituri (Eastern DRC). She is confident to cope with the scientific and technical challenges linked to the project due to the her considerable field work experience, both in her field research contexts and with regards to peacebuilding issues in general.