The Peace Academy's focus area "Conflict Transformation and Peace Perspectives" deals with positive perspectives in times of increasing international violent conflicts, the return of interstate war and dramatically rising numbers of victims. Conflict analysis is concerned with developing perspectives for conflict transformation that make these conflicts accessible to a non-violent solution. This includes, in particular, the reduction of enemy stereotypes and the initiation of reconciliation processes. At the same time, in times of a new global arms race and the spread of "geopolitical thinking" (understood as an increased focus on narrowly defined national or regional interests), the focus is on prospects for sustainable peace. This includes dealing with civil crisis prevention as well as issues of arms control, dealing with the global threat of nuclear armament and proliferation or remembrance work in the service of cross-border understanding. Aspects of development cooperation and the reduction of power imbalances are also included, as just structures are key prerequisites for sustainable peace processes.
The crisis following the 2007–2008 elections in Kenya was one of the most violent periods in the country's history. Following a disputed presidential election, widespread violence erupted along ethnic and political lines, claiming over 1,000 lives and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Although peace agreements were later signed and reconciliation efforts were launched—including the formation of a coalition government and the establishment of the Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC)—questions remain as to whether genuine reconciliation has been achieved.
Nearly two decades later, Kenya continues to experience political unrest, protests, and incidents of police violence. Recent demonstrations and clashes suggest that the underlying tensions that fueled the violence of 2007–2008 may not yet have been fully resolved. At the same time, a younger generation has come of age that has had little direct experience with the violence but continues to live in a society shaped by its aftermath.
This study examines how Kenyans—both those who witnessed the events of 2007–2008 and those who were children or not yet born at the time—perceive reconciliation, peace, and political violence today. The aim of the study is to understand how perceptions of reconciliation differ across generations and how ongoing state and political violence influences these perceptions.
Researcher: Samantha Ruppel
Project start date: 10/2025
The remains of large military defenses criss-cross the north of France as the "Ligne Maginot" and the southwest of Germany as the "Westwall". They were built in the interwar period as opposing bulwarks of enormous proportions. And even if they were not of central military importance during the Second World War, their remains are still impressive monuments to a time when relations between France and Germany (at least in German) were seen as "hereditary enmity". With the project "intertwined history - common future", we want to explore how the interrelated history of these military buildings can be used as an opportunity to develop common forms of commemoration that focus on the achievements of Franco-German relations in the sense of a "histoire croisée". There are hardly any comparable monuments or places of remembrance that can be understood so clearly as an expression of a fundamental change - a change that makes Europe as a peace project immediately comprehensible.
The days of the major "Liberal Peace Building" initiatives that characterized international politics in the 2000s are irrevocably over. Even the much more modest "stabilization agenda" has had to make way for a new, interest-oriented way of thinking that can be summarized under the term "geopolitics". In this era of geopolitics and intensifying conflicts, there is hardly any room left for "post-conflict peace building programs" that conceived of and promoted "reconciliation" as part of a comprehensive program to create sustainable peace. However, this perspective overlooks the fact that there have always been and continue to be civil society actors who oppose the dominant conflict narratives and attempt to overcome them in the sense of a change of identity. The research project aims to examine from a comparative perspective how these actors - who in many cases must currently be seen as the best hope for peace - react to the intensifying conflict situations. What are "best practices" for dealing with an increasingly conflictual environment? How can "external shocks" be absorbed in their own projects? What role can such actors still play if the "general weather situation" worsens?
The doctoral project is dedicated in particular to the role of youth and youth education programs in overcoming conflict narratives and the identity change that is at the core of "reconciliation". The aim is to draw an international comparison between European experiences and the African Great Lakes region with its numerous conflict hotspots.