Description
One of the foundational assumptions to many interventions in armed peacekeeping (and indeed IR more broadly) is that, if necessary, violence ultimately works even though it may be undesirable. Unarmed civilian protection (UCP) fundamentally challenges that notion by rejecting the use and threat of physical violence in its entirety. This nonviolent approach to civilian protection, using methods such as proactive engagement and capacity development, is effective through trust and relationship building with communities in conflict-affected areas. There is a growing body of literature highlighting that as a result, UCP practitioners gain more knowledge about conflict situations and can therefore provide more comprehensive protection. Yet, what it fails to consider is the impact of nonviolence on the process of local conflict knowledge production. The linear linkage of nonviolence to relationships and relationships to knowledge is now well documented, but this conception of UCP methods often treats knowledge as an objective, knowable truth with actors seeking to discover it. To fully understand the epistemic impact of nonviolence on conflict-related knowledge, we must firstly understand how those that ‘do’ nonviolence make meaning of the conflicts they live and work within. This paper explores whether in addition to the tangible benefits of nonviolent conflict intervention (more access, trust), nonviolence could be an epistemic practice. If nonviolence impacts the way armed conflict and violence is understood and known, then it could too expand our imaginations for protection and peace.
