Grassroots Approaches to Community-Based Peacebuilding Initiatives

Theory and Praxis on the Front Lines

By (author) Kawser Ahmed

Publication date:

28 September 2017

Length of book:

250 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9781498562065

Grassroots Approaches to Community-Based Peacebuilding Initiatives examines how change is affected in society by studying the experiences of community leaders involved in social activism in Winnipeg, Canada. Documenting the peace-building activities of a host of Community Based Organizations (CBOs), it explores how these activities are used strategically to impact conflict transformation related to issues such as racism, inequality, and extremism in local settings. Due to its combination of a theoretical foundation and first-hand accounts of actual peace-building projects, this book is a highly useful resource for understanding policy and praxis related to peace-building, and a significant contribution to the literature on peace and conflict studies and policy formation.

Contents

Acknowledgments
Foreword
Chapter One: Winnipeg—My Home
Chapter Two: Working for the Common Good: Leaders of Community-Based Organizations as Peacebuilders
Chapter Three: Winnipeg’s CBOs in Peace-building and Conflict Transformation: Strengths and Weaknesses
Chapter Four: Faith Matters: Winnipeg’s FBOs Special Role in Peace-building and Conflict Transformation
Chapter Five: Doing Whatever is Needed to Be Done: Moving Beyond Theory to Practice
Chapter Six: Where Do We Go From Here? Key Research Findings and Future Research on Social Conflict and Peace-building
About the Author

In this important study, Kawser Ahmed listens to the voices of community leaders on the front-lines of social justice work in Winnipeg, Manitoba. These leaders are working with nongovernmental, ethnic-based, and faith-based organizations. In his analysis, Dr. Ahmed explores the intersection among structural factors and grassroots activism in the face of social challenges such as poverty, discrimination, and colonialism. This study is significant for learning both the strengths and obstacles to civil society as an engine of social change, and the complexities that shape various forms of violence and inequality in society, and makes an important contribution to theory-building in peace and conflict studies.