The project Postcolonial Hierarchies in Peace & Conflict is a collaborative network of the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute (ABI) Freiburg, the Center for Conflict Studies at the Philipps University Marburg, the University of Bayreuth & the University of Erfurt. Hierarchies is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) over a period of four years (2022-2026).
The project focuses on the dynamics of violence, security & governance as well as on transformative justice. It aims to understand the effects that postcolonial hierarchies have on contemporary conflict dynamics, their management, and implications for attaining sustainable peace.
Hierarchies was launched on 8 June 2022 at a roundtable in the context of the VAD Conference 2022 "Africa-Europe: Reciprocal Perspectives" hosted by the Africa Centre for Transregional Research (ACT) of the University of Freiburg. The roundtable focused on the topic “Global hierarchies & reciprocity in academic knowledge production –A decolonial approach to peace & conflict studies”.
In search for inspiration and collaborative networks, Hierarchies invited scholars from the field of peace & conflict studies, including scholars from the Bukavu Series, a cross-institutional initiative engaging with the ethical and practical implications of conducting research against the largely asymmetrical landscape of academic knowledge production.
The video documentation presents key insights from the project launch during the VAD Conference, featuring interviews with Azza Mustafa Ahmed (HUMA -Institute for Humanities in Africa, UCT), Emery Mushagalusa Mudinga (Angaza Institute -ISDR & Bukavu Series), Josaphat Musamba (Ghent University & Bukavu Series), alongside contributions and comments by Koen Vlassenroot (Ghent University & Bukavu Series), and Jana Hönke (University of Bayreuth & Hierarchies). The roundtable was organized and moderated by Fabricio Rodríguez (ABI Freiburg & Hierarchies).