The Value of Listening to Community Voices: A Peacebuilding Approach to Armed Social Violence

In an article entitled The Value of Listening to Community Voices: A Peacebuilding Approach to Armed Social Violence, CPCS contributes to the Berghof Handbook Dialogue No. 12, which explores the merits of applying peacebuilding approaches to address armed social violence.

The article proposes using Listening Methodology, a conflict transformation research methodology that CPCS uses to better appreciate conflict dynamics and measure the effectiveness of interventions aimed at addressing not only of the manifestations but also the structural causes of violence. Listening Methodology seeks to listen and amplify the voices of communities directly affected by violent conflict. This is based on the understanding that those directly affected by violent conflict often have key insights that need to be considered to design effective, context-sensitive policies and interventions. This is particularly relevant given that one of the drivers of both political and armed social violence often is grievance due to marginalization, which can be addressed by providing spaces for those often ignored to express their frustrations.