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25586-01 - Seminar: The politics of peace: international interventions and local dynamics of peacebuilding in Africa (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2010 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers |
Laurent Goetschel (laurent.goetschel@unibas.ch)
Didier Péclard (didier.peclard@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Since the end of the Cold War, peacebuilding both as a field of study and as operations on the ground has moved from a logic of "containment", where the focus was on the establishment and maintenance of peace between warring parties, to a more global approach which encompasses issues such as human security, development, and the rule of law. This shift was strongly influenced by the ideological victory of liberalism with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and has been therefore considered as the globalization of liberal market democracy. According to this liberal peacebuilding model, peace and stability can only be achieved if they are embedded in and sustained by democratisation and free-market economy. The theoretical underpinning of such thinking is that liberal democracy per se is more peaceful in both internal and external affairs than any other political system. This model has recently come under criticism amongst other things for being often disconnected from local political realities, for being based on a top-down approach to social change that focuses exclusively on power brokers and neglects community leaders or on the contrary, for fostering a romanticised view of grass-root communities , as well as for its potentially destabilizing effects when political changes are forced onto societies that do not have the required institutions to manage them. This seminar will look at the liberal peacebuilding model and its critiques, and will also contrast international peacebuilding interventions with local peace initiatives. Students will reflect on a range of theoretical issues and case studies of recent peacebuilding operations in Africa (Sudan, Tchad, Mozambique, Eastern DRC, Angola, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte dIvoire). The advanced block seminar is the second of a series of three that started in the Spring term 2010. The third seminar (Spring term 2011) will be dedicated to the interactions and interconnections between peacebuilding and state-building in Africa. |
| Learning objectives | Participants in this advanced seminar get acquainted with ongoing debates about international peace interventions in the post-Cold War era. They critically reflect on the 'liberal peace model' as well as about the interactions and differences between external interventions in conflicts and locally grown peacebuilding initiatives |
| Bibliography | Newman, E., Paris, R. & Richmond O. (eds.). 2009. New Perspectives on Liberal Peacebuilding. Tokyo, United Nations University Press |
| Admission requirements | Abgeschlossenes BA-Studium |
| Course application | Anmeldung erforderlich: Daniel Michel, Europainstitut (d.michel@unibas.ch) bis 30.9.2010! |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul Culture and Society (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul Internationales Zusatzwissen (Master European Studies) Political Sciences (Doktorat an der Philosophisch-Historischen Fakultät (Studienbeginn vor 01.08.2011)) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Lehrveranstaltungsbegleitend |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | University of Basel |
| Offered by | Europainstitut |