Description
Knowledge production in peace and conflict research is influenced by a complex interplay of actors, processes and practices, and is a result of the interlocking of different hierarchies. Consequently, power asymmetries are not illuminated in peace and conflict research, which tends to be hegemonic leading to the reproduction of hierarchies it claims to contest. Building on this, in our paper, we critically explore who produces knowledge in peace and conflict and for whom? Our contribution combines Freirean conception of ‘dialogic encounters’ and Collins’ critical praxis of ‘intersectionality’ as a possible way to minimize epistemic and structural hierarchies in knowledge production, specifically in peace and conflict research. The concept of dialogic encounters and the conceptualization of intersectionality as a critical practice emphasize the political-practical dimension of knowledge production rather than understanding it as an end in itself. In contrast to claims of authoritative knowledge, which often characterizes Eurocentric work on peace and conflict, we argue for understanding research as a shared learning process in which knowledge is also produced for those who participate in it through participatory action research (PAR) for example. Our aim is to contribute to the decolonization of research methods in peace and conflict studies.
