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Photo of Barbara Teixeira.

Barbara Magalhaes Teixeira

Doctoral Student

Photo of Barbara Teixeira.

The Nature of Peace and the Continuum of Violence in Environmental Conflicts

Fredens Natur och Våldets Skepnader i Miljökonflikter

Author

  • Barbara Magalhaes Teixeira

Summary, in English

In this dissertation, I aim to explore the links between nature, conflict, and peace building on literature from peace and conflict studies and environmental peacebuilding. I argue that environmental issues, especially related to the distribution of natural resources, are central to understanding structural conditions allowing for both conflict and peace. In order to answer the research question, I explore how nature is understood, valued, and exploited and how this contributes to the creation of unjust structures that promote conflict and violence. I center resource inequality at the root of environmental conflicts, thus providing a structural account of how they affect violence through the idea of the continuum of peace-violence. Ultimately, I show that building sustainable peace requires reshaping structures of distribution of both resources and power to promote not only negative peace but also create the conditions for positive peace.

This dissertation engages both quantitative and qualitative methods embedded into feminist and decolonial methodologies. By integrating these methods, the thesis provides a more holistic view that bridges macro-level patterns with micro-level intricacies, thereby advancing the field of environmental peacebuilding through a more systematic and comprehensive methodological framework. It also addresses recent calls in the field for a more methodologically plural approach to environmental peacebuilding by employing feminist and decolonial methodologies with attention to power dynamics with the aim of negating simplistic narratives.

The papers in this thesis provide not only empirical evidence to substantiate and challenge environmental peacebuilding’s pathways and mechanisms but also help further develop the framework for a more comprehensive and transformational approach to building peace in times of environmental breakdown and climate change. The results of this dissertation highlight the need for a more comprehensive and integrated understanding of peacebuilding that considers the complex interplay between environmental, economic, and social factors. The findings underscore the importance of addressing the underlying structural issues that perpetuate conflict and hinder sustainable peace. By challenging the existing paradigms and proposing alternative frameworks, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on effectively fostering sustainable peace in post-conflict countries.

Department/s

  • Department of Political Science

Publishing year

2024-08

Language

English

Publication/Series

Lund Political Studies

Issue

218

Document type

Dissertation

Publisher

AllMedia Öresund AB

Topic

  • Political Science

Keywords

  • nature
  • peace
  • conflict
  • continuum of violence
  • environmental peacebuilding
  • Global South
  • natur
  • fred
  • konflikt
  • våld
  • miljöfredsbyggande

Status

Published

Supervisor

  • Roxanna Sjöstedt
  • Oriol Sabaté

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0460-0037
  • ISBN: 978-91-8104-128-6
  • ISBN: 978-91-8104-127-9

Defence date

20 September 2024

Defence time

13:15

Defence place

Edens hörsal, Allhelgona kyrkogata 14, Lund

Opponent

  • Jan Selby (Professor)