Suchergebnisse

After war — so the common definition suggests — comes peace. Recent research, however, shows that post-conflict societies sometimes experience levels of violence comparable to those in times of civil war. What changes are the labels under which violence is recorded and discussed. Political, conflict-related violence between armed groups, the government and civilians becomes 'ordinary crime' after conflict is officially resolved. This article argues that the divide between 'violence' and 'crime' is of conceptual rather than empirical nature. It employs a strictly empirical analysis of forms of violence in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to show how certain manifestations of violence persist long after armed conflict is over. The study concludes that, instead of being treated as an inevitable consequence of apartheid history and enduring socioeconomic ills, violence needs to be an immediate focus of post-conflict development agendas.

This article examines how orthodox ideas of empowerment have changed for women living in contexts of insecurity. Drawing on fieldwork interviews on women, peace and security in Fiji, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste, the article reveals a range of culturally different ideas on empowerment that emphasise the community. The interview material raises new questions about the centrality of security to many women's concepts of empowerment. The article suggests holistic ways to rethink context-driven empowerment within broad-based notions of peace and security.