Research lectures, seminars and events
The events listed in this area are research seminars, workshops and lectures hosted by Durham University departments and research institutes. If you are not a member of the University, but wish to enquire about attending one of the events please contact the organiser or host department.
IAS Fellow's Public Lecture - Peace processes revisited: From negotiating conflict towards democratizing peace
Abstract
Today’s peace processes have become ever more complex – involving various stakeholders negotiating multiple issues on multiple levels. Indeed, peace mediation is increasingly moving away from brokering limited deals between small groups of military and political leaders behind closed doors. The calls for inclusivity demand that a broader range of actors have a say in shaping the future of their country.
Has the increased complexity and ambition of mediation fundamentally altered the nature of peace negotiations? Can we talk about ‘negotiations’ when peace processes are increasingly about crafting a new social contract and political system for the country rather than simply negotiating the division of power? And fundamentally, is it possible to design peace processes that go beyond elite power sharing deals between armed groups, and engage a broader range of national stakeholders, such as women and youth?
This public lecture is part of broader research project on Mediation for the 21st Century and combines both theoretical and empirical insights from recent peace processes in contexts such as South Sudan and Yemen to analyze today’s mediation praxis. Whereas much of mediation scholarship has been approached from the perspective of international relations or negotiations theory, this lecture views inclusive peace mediation through the lens of democratic theory. It is suggested that applying ideas of democratic representation and deliberation to the context of peace negotiations may help to shift the focus from normative to substantive matters: what and whose interests should be represented in mediation processes? How and under which conditions?
This lecture is free and open to all.
Details about Johanna Poutanen
Directions to Hatfield College
Map – Hatfield College is denoted as building No. 20
Contact enquiries.ias@durham.ac.uk for more information about this event.
Download this event in iCalendar format
