Suchergebnisse

This article offers a critical analysis of aid programmes aimed at supporting local civil societies in post-conflict peacebuilding (PCPB). Such programmes are often seen to carry the best hopes for a genuine democratic counterweight to existing power-brokers and to hold the key to the building of a 'new' society. But, in their interventions, outsiders tend to forget the large diversity of local civil societies, creating many counter-effects in the way international programmes purport to support or empower local people. The resulting consequences affect the ways in which international and local actors interact in post-conflict contexts and, accordingly, the ways in which actual 'civil society' may contribute to PCPB. A close analysis of these elements reveals larger political ambiguities present in PCPB strategies and actions. The article ends with a series of recommendations to support a better understanding and acknowledgment of local processes and resources in any aid programme, as well as greater accountability on the part of outsiders.

The author questions the meaning of the expression "peace-building" in circumstances following the perpetration of massive crimes. She stresses the specific difficulties raised by these kinds of situations to both analysts & professionals involved in the process, & puts forward a series of methodological proposals concerning the impact of massive crimes on social & political relations' reconstruction within societies torn by war. Also, the author underlines the relevance of having a better understanding of these processes in order to identify which assistance programs may be more effective, as those processes appear in specific sociopolitical contexts. In their attempt to approach this complex issue, analysts & professional come across two challenges. First, they must try to understand how the massive crime could have been committed. Second, they must identify the prospects of peace in the distressed society. For the social & political rules to function or, in other words, for all the actors to be willing to join the collective game, those prospects cannot be ignored. Peace building must include local techniques that, most of the times, have been evolving throughout time & have adopted different methods from other latitudes. Adapted from the source document.

This contribution sets out to consider certain ethical & methodological issues raised by the conduct of investigations in situations of extreme violence. It proposes to explore the relationship with the specific "object" in terms of researchers' responsibility toward the people about whom their research is conducted. That approach is based primarily on the development of a "comprehensive" sociology from the perspective of meaning, with the aim of entering the subjectivity of the other person. Within the context of extreme violence, such an approach poses increased difficulties, which this article endeavors to explore. That involves the researcher in constant, complex critical analysis of situations that disrupt all his or her bearings. Making the other person not simply an "object" but a "subject" of research also means going beyond categories that might constrain the researcher & entails continuous linkage of individual & collective histories. This naturally raises questions concerning not only the investigative but also the analytical techniques employed by the researcher. 1 Photograph, 18 References. Adapted from the source document.

This contribution sets out to consider certain ethical and methodological issues raised by the conduct of investigations in situations of extreme violence. It proposes to explore the relationship with the specific 'object' in terms of researchers' responsibility toward the people about whom their research is conducted. That approach is based primarily on the development of a 'comprehensive' sociology from the perspective of meaning, with the aim of entering the subjectivity of the other person. Within the context of extreme violence, such an approach poses increased difficulties, which this article endeavors to explore. That involves the researcher in constant, complex critical analysis of situations that disrupt all his or her bearings. Making the other person not simply an 'object' but a 'subject' of research also means going beyond categories that might constrain the researcher and entails continuous linkage of individual and collective histories. This naturally raises questions concerning not only the investigative but also the analytical techniques employed by the researcher. 1 Photograph, 18 References. (Original abstract - amended)

The past 10 years have witnessed a revival of interest in state building & "international protectorates." Historical precedents contain important lessons for contemporary practice but today's state-building engineers are often ill-acquainted with these lessons. Nor are they mindful of the fundamental contradictions that encumber state-building initiatives. The political project of reconstructing collapsed states, it becomes apparent, is not only ideologically freighted; it also ignores what historical sociologists have taught us about the complex processes that govern the construction of states & nations. Adapted from the source document.