OxPeace 2022 Session 4: Part 1

Covid-19 has had profound – but vastly unequal – socio-economic consequences across the globe. This includes exacerbating the drivers of mass conflict in many settings, even societies that have seemingly enjoyed long periods of peace. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in Rwanda in early 2021, at the height of the pandemic, as part of a longer study on the links among post-genocide inequality, welfare and reconciliation, this presentation will highlight the need to re-examine some core features of peacebuilding and transitional justice in the Covid context. This includes reconsidering the relations among international, national and community-level peacebuilding actors and their ability, in a complementary and durable fashion, to address the systemic causes of violence in the wake of all-encompassing shocks such as a global health crisis. Moving beyond the specific Rwandan case, this research provides insights into the multi-level nature of peacebuilding as well as the importance of care, intimacy and socio-economic equality in pursuing sustainable peace.