Peace Activism and Civil Society Peacebuilding

This chapter develops the idea of civil society as a space for peace activism and peacebuilding through which the necessity of the ‘local turn’ can be realised. This chapter also lays conceptual groundwork for understanding the peacebuilding potential of actors discussed in later chapters—for example, the role of sports associations in reconciliation, religious actors in peacebuilding, or women’s groups in challenging militarism. The chapter therefore considers both the ideas behind claims for the centrality of people’s movements and civil society organisations to peacemaking and peacebuilding (which at heart revolve around ideas of legitimacy, ownership, inclusion, and adaption) and presents some examples of the fundamental and functional role people play in building peace. Yet, the chapter also considers the limits of this discourse and weaknesses in current approaches to incorporating civil society actors in peacebuilding.