Call for Papers ISA 2020: Participatory Peacebuilding
Whilst participatory approaches have long been on the research agenda in development studies, their value in peacebuilding settings is underexplored. The panel begins from the assumption that turning to these sites and practices has the potential to add value to peacebuilding debates methodologically (as academics think about new ways to produce ‘research data’), empirically (as new sites of peacebuilding and transition are opened up) and theoretically (as the fundamental tenants of what constitutes peace are questioned as a result of listening to new voices and turning to new practices). The panel builds on the AHRC and GCRF funded project ‘Changing the Story’. This has has turned to artistic and creative participatory projects as a means to explore how this can offer transformative means through which peace and peacebuilding are understood. To this end, we welcome abstracts that address the role of participatory approaches to peacebuilding, and in particular that address the following questions:
– What effect do participatory approaches have in peacebuilding contexts? How is this impact explained?
– How does a participatory approach alter what narratives of peace and peacebuilding are heard?
– What methodological challenges exist with researching these projects and their impact? How can these be overcome?
– How do different types of artistic and creative practices alter the a/effect of these interventions?
– Which aspects of peacebuilding, and which legacies of past violence, is a participatory approach best positioned to address?
– What are the dangers of a participatory approach?
– What lessons can be learned from participatory development?
Abstracts should be sent to henry.redwood@kcl.ac.uk by 26 May -who is happy to answer any questions about this too.