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In the post-Cold War, the world is witnessing the emergence of new forms of intra-state conflicts accompanied by a weakening of the nation-state’s traditional means of dealing with these. There is a visible need for substantial revision in conventional approaches and strategies aimed at transforming such conflicts. Conflict resolution agendas have in the last two decades for the most part been shaped by the political objective of bringing political and economic liberalization in the name of promoting of human rights, rule of law and democracy. However, these strategies often fail to take into consideration the complex social and cultural contexts of the local level. There is a gap in knowledge about the impact that governance agendas have on local conflict dynamics, especially in cases where identity mobilisation is a prominent factor in the conflict. This project will analyse the premises and operation of governance initiatives in conflict transformation processes through a combination of fieldwork, qualitative analysis and theory development. It will carry out case studies encompassing recent governance practices in Bihar, Bosnia, Cyprus, Georgia, North East India and Kashmir. The project envisages breaking new ground by exploring the interface between governance and conflict. This will be examined through a combination of fieldwork and statistical analysis leading to theory building. Its objectives are: • Analyse how increasingly globally articulated and networked norms, rules and policies of governance are transforming and affecting conflicts today; • Map a select set of current governance programmes and actors that are set up to address conflicts of each study and analyse the discourses of the governance initiatives, their underpinned principles and social goals; • Form a methodological framework for field analysis of governance initiatives implemented in societies of long-term conflict; • The arena of governance will be mapped through the state of democratic institutions, management of resources, human rights, rule of law, policing and civil society in selected conflict areas across India and Europe. • Improve the knowledge and understanding of the cultural dynamics of current governance practices in India and Europe; • Assess the effect and impact of governance initiatives on conflicts where issues of identity mobilization and minority rights are prominent; • Make a significant contribution to basic research on global politics, conflict resolution and governance through improving the theoretical and methodological basis for analyzing and assessing the political and social impact of governance initiatives.
The case studies in India include: |