The Virtual Encyclopaedia is a compilation of theory, research, and practice in peace and conflict studies from de- and postcolonial approaches – with an emphasis on the contributions from the collaborative network „Postcolonial Hierarchies in Peace and Conflict“.

The Virtual Encyclopaedia aims to provide readers with the tools to critically approach peace and conflict studies through the lenses of postcolonial theory and decolonial thought.

It encyclopaedia is an initiative by the network „Postcolonial Hierarchies in Peace and Conflict“. It states that its open access platform „offers an engaging and critical compendium of crucial theoretical and conceptual debates, empirical analyses, and thorough reflection on methods and knowledge production in the field“ while extending the usual form of encyclopaedias using text, audio, video, and storytelling across different formats.

The network „Postcolonial Hierarchies in Peace and Conflict“ is a collaborative project of the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute (Freiburg), the Center for Conflict Studies at the Philipps University Marburg, the University of Bayreuth, and the University of Erfurt. It is an interdisciplinary research initiative funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The network investigates how historically formed postcolonial hierarchies manifest themselves in contemporary conflict dynamics and their implications for sustainable conflict transformation in the future.

You can access the Virtual Encyclopaedia free of charge online.