Hybrid (Post-)Conflict Configurations: The Interplay Between the Local, the National and the International Level

Abstract

Continuity and discontinuity characterise a (post-)conflict environment. Certain aspects of pre-war configurations persist throughout an armed conflict, others change drastically. In most cases, however, not least due to the intervention of external actors, the (post-)conflict configuration presents an opportunity for local and national actors to (re-)position themselves. The interaction between these actors and the interplay of their respective perspectives, norms and priorities shapes the different forms of authority and legitimacy, usually building on both traditional and modern references, like autochthonous belonging to land and official political positions in the state. Simultaneously, the violence and the military conflicts in areas like the Great Lakes region do not respect national boundaries. These areas have been allowed to deteriorate due to fragmented or illegitimate statehood. This is a challenge for many Western oriented social scientists focused on state-building. With the well-known criticism of the liberal peace approach and its questionable assumption that states can be rebuilt from scratch in a (post-)conflict situation, scholars are increasingly focusing on the nature, processes and outcomes of the interaction between actors at the local, national and international level. One conceptual framework used to do so is the concept of hybridity. Roger Mac Ginty has defined the concept as “the composite forms of social thinking and practice that emerge as the result of the interaction of different groups, practices and worldviews.” According to its definition, this conceptual framework can be used to analyse different interactional configurations in a (post-)conflict setting. The panel seeks to address various forms of hybridity. It is specifically looking for contributions examining hybrid political orders and/or hybrid forms of peacebuilding linking local, national, and international norms, institutions and actors.

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