Studying at York
The Politics of Peacebuilding - POL00101M
Module summary
This module takes as its starting point that armed conflicts have lasting transformative impacts on the state, its politics and existing governance structures. Using both theoretical and empirical material, the module analyses how peace is being forged at the local and national level, focusing on the interaction dynamics between international peacebuilding and domestic politics. It provides students with a set of tool-boxes to analyze and understand variations in the quality of peace across diverse types of conflicts and contexts.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
This module provides students with in-depth understanding of the political dynamics of peace-making after war and armed conflict. Recognizing that civil wars and armed conflicts have lasting transformative political and social effects, the module addresses contemporary issues of the parallel processes of forging peace and post-war stability studying international peacebuilding strategies, domestic political strategies as well as their interactions. Drawing on a range of case studies and empirical examples, the module asks what kind of peace is being forged, which actors are involved, and what are the consequences of their strategies, policies and power dynamics? How do the actors who were fighting such as the rebel groups, the militias and the military adapt to post-war politics and what role do they play in shaping war-to-peace transitions as well as the post-war political order? What role does political agency, identity and gender of citizens and of political actors play in shaping peace? In what ways do international peacebuilding policies interact with regional, national and local dynamics and what are the outcomes? How do societies heal and recover from legacies of violence and what are the implications for post-war politics and peace? The module is anchored in exciting, ongoing research and policy debates about peacebuilding and post-war politics addressing some of the most pressing issues facing countries moving out of war across a diverse set of contexts. Case studies will be drawn from all over the world, based on the wide range of expertise available within the Department, and may include the Middle East, Central Asia, South and Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin/Central America, the Caucasus and Europe
Module learning outcomes
Subject content
At the end of the module, students should be able to:
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Demonstrate an understanding of the challenges facing countries emerging out of armed conflict.
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Compare across types of countries and post-war experiences, and identify key dynamics that can account for similarities and differences
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Discuss competing views and explanations of the causes of variation in outcomes, using both quantitative and qualitative evidence
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Critically reflect on and evaluate different peacebuilding policies and critically assess their consequences
Academic and graduate skills:
At the end of the module, students should be able to:
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Think critically about complex subjects
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Communicate effectively in both verbal and written forms
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Present complex concepts and topics confidently
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Engage in effective secondary research
Module content
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Thinking Critically About Peace and Peacebuilding
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LIberal Peacebuilding: Helping Hand or Neo-Imperialism?
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Bargaining and Negotiating Comprehensive Peace Accords
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Can Power-Sharing Transform Civil Conflicts?
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Former Armed Groups in Politics
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DDR and Ex-Combatants and War Veterans
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Transitional Justice and Reconciliation After Conflict
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Local and Everyday Peace
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Illiberal Peacebuilding and Authoritarian Conflict Management
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Concluding Peace
Indicative assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework 3500 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework 3500 word essay |
N/A | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s feedback and guidance hours.
Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 25 working days; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s regular feedback and guidance hours.
Indicative reading
Cheng, Christine (2019), Extralegal Groups in Post-Conflict Liberia: How Trade Makes the State Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cheldelin, Sandra and Eliatamby, Maneshka (2011) Women Waging War and Peace: International Perspectives on Women’s Roles in Conflict and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. NY: Continuum Books.
Curtis, D. & G. Sindre (2019) Transforming State Visions: Ideology and Ideas in Armed Groups Turned Political Parties. Government and Opposition, 54, 387-414.
Dayton, Bruce B. and Kriesberg, Louis (2009) Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding: Moving from Violence to Sustainable Peace. New York: Routledge.
Howard, Lise M. (2019) Power in Peacekeeping. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Huang, Reyko (2016) The Wartime Origins of Democratization: Civil Wars, Rebel Governance, and Political Regimes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Piccolino, G. 2015. Winning wars, building (illiberal) peace? The rise (and possible fall) of a victor's peace in Rwanda and Sri Lanka. 1770-1785.
Matanock, Aila (M.) (2017) Electing Peace: From Civil Conflict to Political Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wood, E. (2001) An insurgent path to democracy: popular mobilization, economic interests, and regime transition in South Africa and El Salvador. Comparative political studies, 34, 862-888.