Since the end of the Second World War, conflicts between states that dominated the international scene for decades are gradually being replaced by intra-state conflicts. These new wars have occurred in the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. These intra-state wars take several forms; some of the common forms have included civil wars, revolutions, ethnic violence ...

The focus of my thesis is how the ‘war on terrorism’ was discursively constructed as the appropriate response to the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September 2001. To answer this research question, a discourse analysis was undertaken of six of President George W. Bush’s speeches and one official strategy document by the Bush administration. The background for my thesis is that the US ...

This thesis examines the lives of two ethnicities in Kyrgyzstan, their history of evolvement, territorial conditions and possibilities for inter-ethnic conflicts with the Kyrgyz majority, from the perspective of living within ethnic boundaries. For the comparative analysis I have chosen two minority groups: Kurds and Dungans. My main reason for choosing these ethnic groups in particular is their ...

Abstract: Peace and conflict studies can benefit from studying small, ordinary, peaceful communities, in contrast to focusing on outlier events of violence, conflict and war. As a peace from below approach, the ecovillage model offers insights on how ordinary people innovate new ways to build and sustain peace within a microcosm of society, focusing intensely on the local. The aim of this research ...

Despite growing understanding and recognition of the need to offer education in the mother tongue or in a familiar language, there is a growing trend to adopt a foreign language (more particularly English) as a language of instruction. In Nepal, language of instruction (English vs Nepali) has been one of the major factors that distinguish private schools from the state schools. In recent years, ...

This master’s thesis investigates the role of language and expression in normalizing structural violence in Cuba and the capacity of poets to change these structures. Cuba’s nationalist narratives are examined from the top-down, while the capacity of Cuban poets to lead social change and political transition is explored from the bottom-up. Fieldwork for data collection took place in May and June ...

Civil wars have the potential to produced devastating impacts, including increasing the number of people seeking asylum abroad. Forcibly displaced people usually carry vulnerabilities and are at greater risk of developing common and severe mental health disorders, due to stress and traumatic situations experienced prior to their flight or even after arriving at the host country, all of that combined ...

The thesis examines the motives of people in Arkhangelsk (Russia) to take part in the 10 December 2011 protest which emerged after the Duma elections. The objective of the research is to find out what motivated people in Arkhangelsk to take part in the protest (i.e. what kind of drivers triggered them to participate). The study draws on theory of spatial analyses of protest under the Russia’s hybrid ...

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (2000) was hailed as a pioneering step in acknowledging the varied roles of women in conflict and promoting their participation in peace processes and in peacebuilding. This report takes a critical look at the inclusion and exclusion of Res. 1325 in peace operations in Africa. It focuses on the meaning and importance of ...

This thesis focuses on women’s resilience in maintaining their livelihood in conflict situations, in the Bawku municipality of Northern Ghana. It is about women meeting their welfare needs and also sustaining their families in civil conflict situations. To meet this objective, the study draws upon multiple qualitative interviews, focus group discussions and observations from female household traders ...