The Art of Peace Formation - by Birte Vogel & Stefanie Kappler & Oliver P Richmond

About the Book

Explores the role of the arts in peace formation, developing the concept of artpeace.

Book Synopsis

Artpeace represents a conceptual framing of the synergy between the arts and peacemaking, as well as a methodological strategy for addressing war and political conflict through the arts. Developing the concept of artpeace, this book investigates how local art projects in seven locations across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America have played a role in broader national peace projects. And it examines the blockages that, at times, prevent the arts from making a tangible difference to the variations of peace being designed.

From the Back Cover

Explores the relationship between the arts, political agency and peace formation Artpeace represents a conceptual framing of the synergy between the arts and peacemaking, as well as a methodological strategy for addressing war and political conflict through the arts. Building on fieldwork undertaken in seven locations across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, this book investigates to what extent local and community art projects have played a role in broader national peace projects. Equally, it also looks into the factors that have blocked artists from translating their social imaginaries into political change in contexts of war and violence. The edited collection brings together peace and conflict scholarship with arts-based studies of social movements in conflict-affected societies to examine the proposition that the arts may offer an opportunity to shape peace processes in emancipatory ways, whilst examining the blockages that, at times, prevent them from making a tangible difference to the variations of peace being designed. Stefanie Kappler is Professor in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding at the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University. Oliver Richmond is Research Professor in IR and Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manchester. Birte Vogel is Senior Lecturer in Humanitarianism, Peace and Conflict Studies at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI), University of Manchester.

Review Quotes

This book is an excellent source for those working at the intersection of arts, peace, conflict, activism and community...The book's concept of artpeace, which reconsiders the role of the arts in peacebuilding efforts, and the case-studies that follow demonstrate how the arts can be used to resist systemic injustice and bring about lasting, tangible change for its communities.--Chelsea Wilkinson, European Graduate School "International Affairs"

This book is shedding light on the social and political force of creative work! It extends beyond theoretical reflections as it delves into case studies where artists have attempted to alter the sometimes violent trajectory of their societies. From Colombia to the Philippines, through meticulous research and insightful analysis, this collection navigates the complex relationship between the arts and peace and helps us understand how they influence one another.

--Lemn Sissay, OBE

About the Author

Birte Vogel is Senior Lecturer in Humanitarianism, Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manchester. Her publications include Mac Ginty, R. Brett, R., and Vogel, B. (eds) 2021. Companion to Peace and Conflict Fieldwork, Palgrave Macmillan and Distler, W. Stavrevska, E. and Vogel, B. (eds) 2019. Economy Formation Processes in Conflict-Affected Societies, Routledge.

Stefanie Kappler is Professor in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding at Durham University. Her publications include Peacebuilding and Spatial Transformation: Peace, Space and Place (with Annika Björkdahl), Routledge, 2017; Local Agency and Peacebuilding: EU and International Engagement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and South Africa, Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2014 and Mass media and the Genocide of the Armenians: One Hundred Years of Uncertain Representation (with Joceline Chabot, Richard Godin & Sylvia Kasparian [eds]), Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2015.

Oliver P. Richmond is Research Professor of IR, Peace and Conflict Studies at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute & Department of Politics, University of Manchester. His recent publications include Peace in IR (Routledge, 2008), Challenges to Peacebuilding: Managing Spoilers During Conflict Resolution (co-edited with Edward Newman) (UNU Press, 2006), and The Transformation of Peace (Palgrave, 2005).