Table Of ContentThis important volume adds a new dimension to the study of peacebuilding, in
the light of recent work on power relations, hybridity, and the local turn. The
notion of ‘friction’ allows for a more detailed and sensitive understanding of their
complex interplay, drawing in new disciplinary matters, foregrounding the over-
whelming significance of the subjects of peace and their daily ethico- political
struggle, and throwing new light on current policy practices. This volume will
stimulate new thinking about peace in the contemporary era.
Oliver Richmond, University of Manchester, UK
For some time, debates on international efforts to build peace have been stuck in
an intellectual quagmire around ‘hybrid’ political orders. This volume is the first
to break out of this now stale debate to offer new conceptual and evidence-
oriented analysis of peacebuilding with a fresh conceptual approach of ‘friction’.
In studies of key cases such as Afghanistan, Cambodia and Timor- Leste, com-
bined with insightful thematic analysis of transitional justice and civil society, the
contributors to this excellent volume provide a significant new contribution to the
peacebuilding field.
Timothy Sisk, University of Denver, USA
This interesting and very useful book combines theoretical and empirical ana-
lyses of post- conflict peacebuilding to advance our understanding of local owner-
ship and hybridity. It accounts for the complexity of global and local efforts with
a nuanced and fresh lens. A must read!
Thania Paffenholz, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies,
Geneva, Switzerland
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Peacebuilding and Friction
This book aims to understand the processes and outcomes that arise from frictional
encounters in peacebuilding, when global and local forces meet.
Building a sustainable peace after violent conflict is a process that entails competing
ideas, political contestation, and transformation of power relations. This volume develops
the concept of ‘friction’ to better analyse the interplay between global ideas, actors, and
practices, and their local counterparts. The chapters examine efforts undertaken to promote
sustainable peace in a variety of locations, such as Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and
Sierra Leone. These case analyses provide a nuanced understanding not simply of local pro-
cesses, or of the hybrid or mixed agencies, ideas, and processes that are generated, but of
the complex interactions that unfold between all these elements in the context of peace-
building intervention. The analyses demonstrate how the ambivalent relationship between
global and local actors leads to unintended and sometimes counterproductive results of
peacebuilding interventions. The approach of this book, with its focus on friction as a con-
ceptual tool, advances the peacebuilding research agenda and adds to two ongoing debates
in the peacebuilding field; the debate on hybridity, and the debate on local agency and local
ownership. In analysing frictional encounters this volume prepares the ground for a better
understanding of the mixed impact peace initiatives have on post-c onflict societies.
This book will be of much interest to students of peacebuilding, conflict resolution,
security studies, and international relations in general.
Annika Björkdahl is Professor in the Department of Political Science, Lund University,
Sweden, and author of The Quest for Just Peace in the Middle East and the Western
Balkans (2013, Routledge).
Kristine Höglund is Professor in the Department of Peace and Conflict Research,
Uppsala University, Sweden and is co- editor of Understanding Peace Research (2011,
Routledge).
Gearoid Millar is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Aberdeen, UK and author of
An Ethnographic Approach to Peacebuilding (2014, Routledge).
Jaïr van der Lijn is Senior Researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRI), Sweden.
Willemijn Verkoren is Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for International
Conflict Analysis and Management (CICAM) at Radboud University Nijmegen, the
Netherlands.
Routledge Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution
Series Editors: Tom Woodhouse and Oliver Ramsbotham
University of Bradford
Peace and Security in the Transforming Violent Conflict
Postmodern World Radical disagreement, dialogue and
The OSCE and conflict resolution survival
Dennis J.D. Sandole Oliver Ramsbotham
Truth Recovery and Justice after Governing Ethnic Conflict
Conflict Consociation, identity and the price of
Managing violent pasts peace
Marie Breen Smyth Andrew Finlay
Peace in International Relations Political Discourse and Conflict
Oliver P. Richmond Resolution
Debating peace in Northern Ireland
Social Capital and Peacebuilding Edited by Katy Hayward and
Creating and resolving conflict with Catherine O’Donnell
trust and social networks
Edited by Michaelene Cox Economic Assistance and Conflict
Transformation
Business, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland
Peacebuilding Sean Byrne
Contributions from the private sector
to address violent conflict Liberal Peacebuilding and Global
Derek Sweetman Governance
Beyond the metropolis
Creativity and Conflict Resolution David Roberts
Alternative pathways to peace
Tatsushi Arai A Post- Liberal Peace
Oliver P. Richmond
Climate Change and Armed
Conflict Peace Research
Hot and cold wars Theory and practice
James R. Lee Peter Wallensteen
Reconciliation after Terrorism Post- Conflict Studies
Strategy, possibility or absurdity? An interdisciplinary approach
Judith Renner and Alexander Spencer Edited by Chip Gagnon and
Keith Brown
Post- War Security Transitions
Participatory peacebuilding after Arab Approaches to Conflict
asymmetric conflicts Resolution
Edited by Veronique Dudouet, Mediation, negotiation and settlement
Hans Giessman and Katrin Planta of political disputes
Nahla Hamdan and
Rethinking Peacebuilding Frederic S. Pearson
The quest for just peace in the Middle
East and the Western Balkans UN Peace Operations and
Edited by Karin Aggestam and International Policing
Annika Björkdahl Negotiating complexity, assessing
impact and learning to learn
Violent Conflict and Peacebuilding Charles T. Hunt
The continuing crisis in Darfur
Johan Brosché and Daniel Rothbart Civil Resistance and Conflict
Transformation
Peacebuilding and NGOs Transitions from armed to nonviolent
State–civil society interactions struggle
Ryerson Christie Edited by Véronique Dudouet
Peace Negotiations and Time Communication and Peace
Deadline diplomacy in territorial Mapping an emerging field
disputes Edited by Julia Hoffmann and
Marco Pinfari Virgil Hawkins
History Education and Post- Conflict Migration and Security in the
Reconciliation Global Age
Reconsidering joint textbook projects Diaspora communities and conflict
Edited by Karina V. Korostelina and Feargal Cochrane
Simone Lässig
Gender, Peace and Security
Conflict Resolution and Human Implementing UN Security Council
Needs Resolution 1325
Linking theory and practice Edited by Theodora-I smene Gizelis
Edited by Kevin Avruch and and Louise Olsson
Christopher Mitchell
Conflict Transformation and
Human Rights Education and Reconciliation
Peacebuilding Multi- level challenges in deeply
A comparative study divided societies
Tracey Holland and J. Paul Martin Sarah Maddison
International Intervention, Identity Peacebuilding and Friction
and Conflict Transformation Global and local encounters in
Bridges and walls between groups post- conflict societies
Timea Spitka Edited by Annika Björkdahl,
Kristine Höglund, Gearoid Millar,
Jaïr van der Lijn, and
Willemijn Verkoren
Peacebuilding and Friction
Global and local encounters in
post- conflict societies
Edited by Annika Björkdahl,
Kristine Höglund, Gearoid Millar,
Jaïr van der Lijn, and
Willemijn Verkoren
First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 selection and editorial matter, Annika Björkdahl, Kristine
Höglund, Gearoid Millar, Jaïr van der Lijn, and Willemijn Verkoren;
individual chapters, the contributors.
The right of the editors to be identified as the authors of the editorial
matter, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted
in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
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British Library Cataloguing-i n-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
Names: Björkdahl, Annika, editor. | Höglund, Kristine, editor. | Millar,
Gearoid, editor. | Lijn, Jair van der, 1973- editor. | Verkoren, Willemijn,
editor.
Title: Peacebuilding and friction global and local encounters in post
conflict societies / edited by Annika Björkdahl, Kristine Höglund, Gearoid
Millar, Jair van der Lijn and Willemijn Verkoren.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2016. | Series: Routledge studies
in peace and conflict resolution | Includes bibliographical references and
index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015037157| ISBN 9781138937512 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781315669823 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Peace-building–International cooperation. |
Peace-building–International cooperation–Case studies. | Conflict
management. | Conflict management–Case studies. | Postwar
reconstruction. | Postwar reconstruction–Case studies.
Classification: LCC JZ5538 .P37424 2016 | DDC 327.1/72–dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015037157
ISBN: 978-1-138-93751-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-66982-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
Contents
Notes on contributors xi
Introduction: peacebuilding through the lens of friction 1
ANNIKA BJöRKDAHL, KRISTINE HöGLUND, GEAROID MILLAR,
JAïR VAN DER LIJN, AND WILLEMIJN VERKOREN
1 Frictional spaces: transitional justice between the global and
the local 17
SUSANNE BUCKLEY- ZISTEL
2 Respecting complexity: compound friction and
unpredictability in peacebuilding 32
GEAROID MILLAR
3 Frictional commemoration: local agency and cosmopolitan
politics at memorial sites in Bosnia-H erzegovina and
Rwanda 48
JOHANNA MANNERGREN SELIMOVIC
4 Escaping friction: practices of creating non-f rictional space
in Sierra Leone 64
LISE PHILIPSEN
5 Sites of friction: governance, identity and space in Mostar 84
ANNIKA BJöRKDAHL AND IVAN GUSIC
6 The imagined agent of peace: frictions in peacebuilding
through civil society strengthening 103
WILLEMIJN VERKOREN AND MATHIJS VAN LEEUWEN
