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 this paper, I first investigate the politics of knowledge production and who produces knowledge in peace and conflict, for whom? This 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. The concept of dialogic encounters and the conceptualization of intersectionality as a critical practice emphasize the political-practical dimension of knowledge production rather than an end in itself. In contrast to claims of authoritative knowledge, which often characterizes Eurocentric work on peace and conflict, I argue for understanding research as a shared learning process in which knowledge is also produced and accessible for those who participate in it through participatory action research (PAR) for example. The aim is to contribute to the decolonization of research methods in peace and conflict studies.
