The social construction of peace

Abstract

Peace is socially constructed; it is the product of human agency, and ideas and practices relating to peace are constituted and instantiated within intersubjective social contexts. A constructivist analysis of peace takes a reflexive approach to analyzing peace in order to rethink the tacit ontological assumptions on which dominant international analyses of peace are premised. It suggests that we need to make less certain, more dynamic, contingent, and flexible ontological assumptions regarding how peace is understood and practiced in conflict-affected societies. While acknowledging the ethical issues involved in seeking to know local knowledge, this suggests that we should expand our analysis to consider the everyday lived experiences, beliefs, feelings, ideas, and understandings of those affected by conflict.