The nature of colonialism is examined in this comparison of British colonial policy in Ireland and Canada toward Indigenous people. The histories and realities of Indigenous peoples’ experiences of colonizing violence are not adequately addressed by the dominant approaches of the democratic peace theory’s universalist neoliberal technocratic values, expectations, and assumptions (see Mac Ginty, 2013). PACS scholars and practitioners need new interpretive frames to make sense of the impact and consequences of colonialism and the intent of genocidal destruction across different colonial contexts in order to understand the deep roots of conflict (economic exploitation, internalization of oppression, racist ideology), and how we should go about critical and emancipatory peace building, theory building, and practice. The study of colonialism is required to understand conflict milieus characterized by structural violence in order to create a justpeace (see Lederach, 1997) that includes restorative and reconciliatory processes, and recognition of local people’s resilience and resistance to structural violence and social injustice (see Chandler, 2017).
Author Bio(s)
Dr. Sean Byrne is cofounding Director of the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice at St. Paul’s College, University of Manitoba, and cofounder of the Peace and Conflict Studies Ph.D. and Joint M.A. programs. He has won awards for his extensive writing, outreach, and teaching including the 2017 University of Manitoba’s Excellence in Graduate Student Mentorship Award. He is interested in critical and emancipatory peacebuilding and social justice.
Mary Anne Clarke is a PhD Candidate in the PACS Ph.D. Program at the University of Manitoba. She is grounded in First Nations epistemologies due to her life experiences and studies. Her primary area of research and interest is children and families in Manitoba Northern First Nations. Her goal is to assist in developing alternatives to the current colonial and genocidal practices in children’s services.
Aziz Rahman is a PhD Candidate in the PACS Ph.D. Program at the University of Manitoba. He is the recipient of a number of scholarships including the Joseph Bombardier Canada Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Scholarship. He was a lecturer at the Department of Criminology and Police Science, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU) in Bangladesh. He is the author of three books and thirty-two peer reviewed articles and book chapters.
Keywords
Peace and Conflict Studies; Indigenous Studies; Colonialism;
Publication Date
5-2018
DOI
10.46743/1082-7307/2018.1432
Recommended Citation
Byrne, Sean; Clarke, Mary Anne; and Rahman, Aziz
(2018)
"Colonialism and Peace and Conflict Studies,"
Peace and Conflict Studies: Vol. 25:
No.
1, Article 1.
DOI: 10.46743/1082-7307/2018.1432
Available at:
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/pcs/vol25/iss1/1
