Geoff Harris – författare

The Elgar Companion to War, Conflict and Peacebuilding in Africa connects strongly with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and the aspirations of the African Union in its Agenda 2063. Chapters explore how to develop nonviolent action in civil society, bad governance and political competition as causes of violence, implementing basic income grants as a means to reduce violence, and alternatives to African militaries. Ultimately, this Companion recognises that the task of violence prevention is not the responsibility of governments alone, and that governments must work to positively utilise the capacities and commitments of civil society and local communities.

Offering a comprehensive overview of the nature and scope of conflict in Africa in the 21st century, this Companion will be a vital read for academics, researchers and students specialising in development studies, international politics, international relations and war studies. It will also be an essential read for peacebuilding professionals and policymakers working in national government organisations, African governments and international cross-policy organisations.

Cultures of violence are characteristic of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and attempts to move towards cultures of peace have often proved difficult and ineffectual. And yet, the wide variations in levels of violence within and between countries show that it is not inevitable; rather, it is the result of choices made at individual, community and societal levels. This book examines the potential of peace infrastructures as vehicles to strengthen and spread progress towards cultures of peace.

Peace infrastructures vary hugely in sophistication and level. The examples examined in this book range from tiny structures which help resolve conflicts between individuals and within community organisations, peace committees which serve local communities, peace education and peace club programmes in schools, mediation mechanisms to prevent election violence and to ministries of peace to coordinate government and non-government efforts in peacemaking and peacebuilding. The overall finding is that the development of peace infrastructures at all levels has great potential to build cultures of peace.

1.     It is the only book available which documents the experience and potential of nonviolence in post-independence sub-Saharan Africa.

2.     It makes a persuasive case for the development of various peace infrastructures in order to make peace sustainable.

3.     It explains how strategic planning can be utilised, both to bring about change and to institutionalise it.