Getting on with it: understanding the Micro-Dynamics of Post-Accord Intergroup Social Relations
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Politics
Abstract
Approximately 2 billion people live in regions plagued by violent conflict (World Bank 2017); within a decade, half the global population will live in countries affected by violence and instability. A key factor shaping global insecurity is that the conventional means for bringing an end to armed conflict do not deliver sustainable peace: around 50% of peace settlements collapse within 10 years. Even when peace holds, its quality is often poor. Recidivism and poor-quality peace represent significant global security concerns, as pervasive post-accord political/criminal violence, poverty and exclusion continue to blight the lives of people living in fragile societies. Peace tends to reach conflict-affected communities slowly, if at all, and ordinary people must get on with living, providing for their families where jobs and state/government support are often absent. They must navigate complex, often traumatic relations between neighbours/authorities, where mutual distrust and discrimination and the legacies of war mean that people experience the present and imagine the future through the societal cleavages and violent memories of the past.
This research aims to understand how civilians face the challenges of failed/failing peace and how they navigate the causes, consequences and legacy of intergroup political violence when formal, top-down interventions do not reach them (RQ1). The project will create innovative original empirical and theoretical data and develop the concept of the Micro-Dynamics of Post-Conflict Intergroup Relations, describing the everyday tactical agency, mechanisms and narratives that individuals, communities and groups employ in order to cope with the legacy of political violence and learn to co-exist with or challenge their former 'enemies' (RQ2). The research will evaluate whether and, if so, how ordinary people play a role in sustaining peace when formal interventions do not reach them, or, if they do, generate limited effect (RQ3). Employing a cutting-edge participatory, co-production methodology of qualitative and quantitative methods, such as embedded ethnography, life histories, map-making, walking, photography, Nvivo, the project will develop a systematic evidence base of everyday tactics and strategies and the factors that shape civilians' ability to craft them. The project explores how factors such as inequality, economic/political exclusion and criminal/political violence affect civilian capacity to levy everyday micro-practices and their subsequent influence upon peacebuilding, intergroup coexistence and reconciliation. Given our focus upon local knowledge and everyday tactics/strategies, 3 country Partners and community stakeholders will participate from the outset through planned and costed activities and strategies to develop a robust theoretical model informed by stakeholders themselves. This model will advance theoretical insights by developing innovative concepts, such as post-accord civilian social entrepreneurship and individual and intergroup micro-social contracts, significantly advancing scholarship and leading to academic impact. Through Knowledge Exchange (KE) with funded direct Partners and wider networks of policymakers and scholars, we will contribute substantially to policy/practitioner knowledge of the factors shaping the stability of political settlements, the likelihood of recidivism and the quality of peace. Working with Partners, PolicyBristol and Durham Policy Hub, we will organise learning events, disseminating evidence-based knowledge of how local actors can sustain or challenge peace from below. We thus expect to facilitate considerable economic/societal impact through KE and lessons learned with peacebuilding/development practitioners. As an integrated whole then, the research will yield academic and economic/societal impact, ultimately reframing key debates, strengthening local capacities, building policy-relevant conceptual models and shaping policy and practice
This research aims to understand how civilians face the challenges of failed/failing peace and how they navigate the causes, consequences and legacy of intergroup political violence when formal, top-down interventions do not reach them (RQ1). The project will create innovative original empirical and theoretical data and develop the concept of the Micro-Dynamics of Post-Conflict Intergroup Relations, describing the everyday tactical agency, mechanisms and narratives that individuals, communities and groups employ in order to cope with the legacy of political violence and learn to co-exist with or challenge their former 'enemies' (RQ2). The research will evaluate whether and, if so, how ordinary people play a role in sustaining peace when formal interventions do not reach them, or, if they do, generate limited effect (RQ3). Employing a cutting-edge participatory, co-production methodology of qualitative and quantitative methods, such as embedded ethnography, life histories, map-making, walking, photography, Nvivo, the project will develop a systematic evidence base of everyday tactics and strategies and the factors that shape civilians' ability to craft them. The project explores how factors such as inequality, economic/political exclusion and criminal/political violence affect civilian capacity to levy everyday micro-practices and their subsequent influence upon peacebuilding, intergroup coexistence and reconciliation. Given our focus upon local knowledge and everyday tactics/strategies, 3 country Partners and community stakeholders will participate from the outset through planned and costed activities and strategies to develop a robust theoretical model informed by stakeholders themselves. This model will advance theoretical insights by developing innovative concepts, such as post-accord civilian social entrepreneurship and individual and intergroup micro-social contracts, significantly advancing scholarship and leading to academic impact. Through Knowledge Exchange (KE) with funded direct Partners and wider networks of policymakers and scholars, we will contribute substantially to policy/practitioner knowledge of the factors shaping the stability of political settlements, the likelihood of recidivism and the quality of peace. Working with Partners, PolicyBristol and Durham Policy Hub, we will organise learning events, disseminating evidence-based knowledge of how local actors can sustain or challenge peace from below. We thus expect to facilitate considerable economic/societal impact through KE and lessons learned with peacebuilding/development practitioners. As an integrated whole then, the research will yield academic and economic/societal impact, ultimately reframing key debates, strengthening local capacities, building policy-relevant conceptual models and shaping policy and practice
| Title | Community Visual Maps and Photographs. |
| Description | The micro-dynamics mapping method collects not only information to generate a micro-dynamics database, but also incudes a visual element that allows participants to produce their own representations of their relationships and dynamics in everyday life at the micro-level. These visual diagrams, generated by each interview, are then transformed into a digitally accessible series of maps, linked to specific country cases across Colombia, Lebanon, and Northern Ireland, and which permit audiences to associate individual experiences with the geographic and micro and macro contexts in which they occur. This mapping technique also allows participants to produce their own photographic interpretation of these interactions, taking photos of their day to day life - keeping in mind concerns of anonymity and security - that will also be digitally displayed alongside the drawn diagrams. This allows audiences to 'see the world' through local eyes as well as understand the myriad interactions and emotions individuals experience navigated conflict-affected areas. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | We are developing this methodology/artwork, but have already collected over 50 community maps that will be digitised. We will begin phase 2 of the research to collect further community maps and the photographs in May 2023. |
| Description | Colombian Post-Accord Process. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Colombian Truth Commission. |
| Geographic Reach | South America |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| URL | https://www.comisiondelaverdad.co |
| Description | Intergroup Contact. |
| Geographic Reach | Asia |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Northern Ireland and Ireland Constitutional Frameworks. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | UN Women |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | At present, we are awaiting the specific evidence of change. However, it is clear that the project has begun to shape how UN Women engages with the themes of sexual and gender based violence. |
| Description | Yale University and University of Notre Dame. |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Title | New Innovative Research Methodologies. |
| Description | We believe this project to incorporate a wide range of innovative qualitative research tools, which have so far included life histories, walking ethnography, and community mapping. Significantly, we have developed a micro-dynamics mapping methodology to collect data on individual-level interactions and degrees of safety in conflict-affected communities. This method combines visual and oral elements - co-produced with participants from the affected communities - to generate data on changing relationships between people across the community and over time. This mapping method relies on a series of interview questions posed that the participant is able to answer through visual diagrams and story-telling practices. In follow-up sessions the participant will also take and share photographs that represent the micro-dynamic interactions collected through the mapping method. For the life history and semi-structured interviews, a small number in Lebanon, Colombia and Northern Ireland have included a walking portion around the neighbourhood of the participant. This was not always possible due to high traffic in some areas, or due to security concerns in others. Regarding our walking interviews and walks, there have been two general types: 1) walking interviews formally with participants, either as a portion of the interview or as the interview itself. These have been carried out in the neighbourhood where the participant is resident or works (if semi-structured). It has been more challenging to do this in Lebanon (rather than our other cases) because of traffic in urban areas and/or security concerns in some urban/rural areas; 2) walking autoethnography of researcher, to embody the socio-spatial context where the research is conducted. Examples have included, free walking and observation; counting the number of certain religious or political symbols within a space; driving or taking public transport through a rural area with free observation. In terms of the life history interviews, most have included a portion of mapping or map-making: identifying one's micro-level everyday routines and interactions geographically on an existing map (e.g., google map) or drawing one freehand. This also included identifying areas that the individual deemed personally safe/unsafe. This exercise was a tool that benefitted the interview process by uncovering micro-level interactions, stances, routines and behaviours. We are about to implement a second which is a mapping exercise of comfortable/uncomfortable (safe/unsafe) interactions that individuals encounter regularly or periodically. The tool we have developed allows for an in-depth examination of multiple micro-level interactions as a follow-up phase to Study I. We believe that the "Map" or visual method allows for greater freedom in listing and discussing interactions. Second phase of this study involves inviting willing participants to photograph scenes (excluding identifiable individuals for privacy purposes) that represent a submit of the interactions they have discussed during the interview. In the end, the diverse series of different methodological tools has helped us to garner innovative and original data that we will subsequently analyse further. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Completed interviews thus far: Northern Ireland: - Interviews with laypeople (life histories): 20 - Semi-structured interviews (local community members/leaders): 15 - Focus groups: 2 - Informal interviews with 'experts' (academics; journalists; historians; NGOs): 18 In Lebanon: - Interviews with laypeople (life histories): 29 - Semi-structured interviews (local community members/leaders): 21 - Focus groups: 2 - Informal interviews with 'experts' (academics; journalists; historians; NGOs): 19 In Colombia: - Interviews with laypeople (life histories): 40 - Semi-structured interviews (local community members/leaders): 53 - Focus groups: 3 - Informal interviews with 'experts' (academics; journalists; historians; NGOs): 43 |
| Title | New Database and Dataset |
| Description | The micro-dynamics mapping method described in the previous section generates a micro-dynamics database. This database stores hundreds of micro-dynamic interactions experienced by individuals in conflict-affected communities that lead to feelings of comfort or discomfort, safety or unsafety. This database will permit analysis to how interactions between different individuals as the local level change over time and space during the course of conflict and after the signing of a peace accord, permitting a more nuanced analysis of what insecurities persist after conflict officially ends and what aspects of daily life have changed. The database will also allow both within- and cross-country comparison to examine what similarities individuals in conflict-affected share and what factors might drive differences. We are developing the following Datasets: 1) transcribed interviews; 2) maps from Study 1 (for reference alongside transcripts); 3) field notes from observational walks and general ethnography; 4) upcoming dataset: transcripts and maps from study II (visualisation) Databases: In progress, as we have begun creating a main database of micro-level stances/actions/reaction/behaviour; a second, related database will be based on the mapping of micro-level interactions |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | We are developing this new collection of datasets and database at present. |
| Description | Committee on the Administration of Justice, Northern Ireland. |
| Organisation | Committee on the Administration of Justice |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We are working with the Committee on the Administration of Justice to design policy on inter and cross community coexistence and reconciliation throughout Northern Ireland. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The CAJ has supported the project by providing expertise on local politics and inter-communal relationships, introductions to actors in the wider policy sphere, and by providing our post-docs with an office space. They will also assist us in data gathering in 2023. In Northern Ireland, we have been also working alongside two local level community organisations along interface areas, including a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to encourage cross-community development. |
| Impact | Not as yet. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame |
| Organisation | University of Notre Dame |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Roddy Brett has been invited as a Visiting Fellow to the Kroc Institute for International Peacebuilding, University of Notre Dame, USA, where he has been sharing the developing and ongoing insights from the Getting on with It Award with colleagues at the Kroc and at the peace Accords Matrix. This has been of fundamental value in supporting the analysis of the empirical data so far gathered and strengthening our project's conceptual framework. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame has contributed to the project by providing key conceptual, theoretical and empirical knowledge and expertise to the team. |
| Impact | Not yet |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | UN Women Lebanon |
| Organisation | UN Women |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We have contributed expertise for the development of an internal UN Women policy framework pertaining to sexual and gender based violence in Lebanon. |
| Collaborator Contribution | In Lebanon, we have developed some very exciting collaborations and partnerships at local levels, including with UN Women and other local organisations. a. We have been working informally with UN Women. One our of team members interviewed her and the diplomat subsequently connected the team to several people and we provided expert advice to UN Women regarding forms of transitional justice for sexual violence perpetrated during the Civil War in Lebanon (mainly against women, but also men). b. We have also been running informal collaboration/partnership with Action Research Associates (ARA). The collaboration has included use of their networking expertise (introductions to potential key people and participants in research regions for example) and use of their premises for running two focus group sessions. We have also introduced and connected the attendees of our research focus groups (with their permission) to ARA for their own focus group on research that these people are conducting regarding dealing with the past in Lebanon. c. We have developed some very useful informal collaboration with a prominent peace activist (anonymous). She participated in a formal interview and introduced and connected us to several key individuals within history/politics/human rights/justice circles. d. We have been collaborating with local teachers in Beirut. The team assisted in a community project with the teacher's final year students and gave the teacher informal feedback on some of her work that has a political/peace and conflict angle. We also carried out several 'ethnographic' walks around neighbourhoods in Beirut, both guided and unguided. We have been working as a team with doctoral students. For example, one of our team members has been collaborating with a PhD student who is looking at archival data of collective action in Lebanon from the 2019 "Thawra". This collaboration will be formalised further in the future. |
| Impact | Internal UN policy framework on sexual and gender-based violence. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Universidad Autonoma del Occidente, Cali, Colombia |
| Organisation | Autonomous University of Occident |
| Country | Colombia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We work with the Universidad Autonoma del Occidente, Cali, Colombia to develop our methodological approach to data gathering in Colombia after signing a collaboration agreement. We have begun to design a framework through which we can contribute to emerging research agendas within the university. |
| Collaborator Contribution | We work with the Universidad Autonoma del Occidente, Cali, Colombia to develop our methodological approach to data gathering in Colombia, as well as in terms of developing co-analysis of the empirical data. The university has been supportive and given our post-doc a space when she was in Cali. |
| Impact | Not yet - but we will be co-authoring research. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Engagement with Colombian Academics and Policymakers. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Dr. Roddy Brett presented and debated the project with colleagues from the Western Autonomous University, Cali, Colombia, building an important network with local scholars and policymakers who work on peacebuilding and conflict transformation. The meeting led to wider engagement from within the university and with core policymakers in southern Colombia. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Engaging with NI Politcians |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The team presented our project as part of the launch of the report of the citizens' assembly concerning alternatives to forced consociation in the Northern Ireland Assembly. This debate included Dr. Sean Haughey (University of Liverpool) and Dr. James Pow (Queen's University Belfast). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Jackson School |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Roddy Brett, PI, was invited to present the project at the Jackson School of Global Affairs, Yale University, and Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame (Yale University, 14 November, 2022). The project was presented during the workshop Inclusive Peace Processes: Challenges in Design and Implementation. Colloquium. Strategies for Sustainable Peacebuilding: Implementation and Policy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://jackson.yale.edu/jackson-events/strategies-for-sustainable-peacebuilding-implementation-and-... |
| Description | University College Dublin |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Co-I Mac Ginty was invited to present the project at the inaugural event for the opening of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Research, University College Dublin. Mac Ginty gave a talk on "Simultaneity and deeply divided societies", drawing on the datasets of the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Wider Engagement by the GOWI Team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | In Northern Ireland, our team presented the project at a local women's community group in Belfast and to a local pipe band. A team member also led a small group of Conflict Research Society attendees during the CRS 2022 conference in Belfast on an informal walking tour around north Belfast along part of the interface to tell them about the project. In Lebanon, the team presented the project during a local community project with final year art students who were mural painting in a local neighbourhood. We also presented the project and engaged with the general public during two Sunday morning hikes with a group of residents from the area. In Lebanon, the team gave a guest lecture at a senior psychology seminar at the University in Beirut. The focus of the talk was on what we can learn about intergroup contact research carried out in England and Northern Ireland and how it might apply to Lebanon. The research drew on examples of work that takes a micro-level and everyday living approach in contact research. This issue of comparative lessons learned across our case studies is key to the intellectual and policy outcomes of the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
| Description | Wider engagement by the team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Clara Voyvodic-Casabo, post-doc, presented the Project at a bi-lateral workshop entitled "Towards Total Peace in Colombia?', at the Frei Berlin University. This cross-stakeholder workshop included members of the Colombian government, non-governmental oranizations, and Colombian and European academic researchers to discuss lessons from past peace negotiations and their current relevance in addressing renewed peace efforts by the Colombian government |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |