Beyond Peacebuilding

Integrating subjectivities of power and violence in peacebuilding analysis

“…While publicised for their ability to liaise the local with the government, these bodies have been subject to criticism on several fronts, including for being 'politically captured' by the main party, 61 not being representative of the community, and not changing people's perception regarding their ability to influence local politics. 62 Purposely, these examples do not engage with the international/local interface; instead, they point to the long-term effects of peacebuilding in institutional terms and in terms of power change. They illustrate that changing power is extremely challenging, especially because the conflict around power within the national and local can be extremely high, affecting the potential effectiveness of peacebuilding reform.…”

“…The idea of investigating subjective aspects of peace, at the heart of this article, was born out of a previous study that focussed on the different narratives about peacebuilding in Mozambique. 1 Indeed, whereas there seemed to be a fairly consensual assessment of the successes and pitfalls of peacebuilding in that country at the policy level, conversations with everyday people in the countryside pointed to very different understandings of these achievements. More than that, they also revealed that some concepts that are inextricably related to peace in academic debates -including violence and power -often have alternative meanings and are experienced differently at the local level.…”

Violence, Peacebuilding, and Elite Bargains in Mozambique Since Independence

“…Unsurprisingly, FRELIMO party loyalty was an advantage for access to micro-credit from this program. 37 However, as FRELIMO found in the 2018 local elections, this is no longer enough to win votes in Nampula province. FRELIMO will increasingly have to work harder to retain patronage.…”