What are you looking for?

News

Virtual Encyclopaedia: rewriting peace and conflict

Critical compendium through the lenses of postcolonial theory and decolonial thought
Erik | unsplash

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.

References
Share
Author
Get in touch
Do you have questions about this article, or would you like to contact the FriEnt team?

Related articles

[tag_names_card]

New FriEnt Website: Peace and development at a glance

The Working Group on Peace and Development (FriEnt) has completely revamped its website. With a clear thematic structure, simplified navigation and a modern, accessible design, the network’s work is now even more visible and easier to explore – for experts and anyone interested in peace and development alike. As before, the website is available in both German and English.
[tag_names_card]

New to the FriEnt team: Peer Krumrey

Since September 2026, Peer Krumrey has been part of the FriEnt team. He joins FriEnt on secondment from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), where he works as a programme officer for peace and security in the Division for International Cooperation, Global and European Policy. At FriEnt, he focuses in particular on peace and security as well as peace and development.
[tag_names_card]

“A conflict is not forgotten, because the headlines move on”

At FriEnt’s latest Forgotten Conflicts series discussion, held on 26 August in Berlin, experts and practitioners from Nigeria and Germany explored the drivers and consequences of violence in the country’s Northwest and Middle Belt. The discussion challenged narratives that portray the violence primarily as a religious conflict and highlighted the need to address climate stress, land scarcity, governance gaps and the erosion of livelihoods, while strengthening locally rooted approaches to peacebuilding.
[tag_names_card]

“Security is more than just military strength”: Catholic Responses to Armament and Crisis

The Katholikentag in Würzburg has shown that peace, security and development go hand in hand. In this interview, Dorothee Klüppel, a member of FriEnt’s Steering Committee and Head of the Africa/Middle East Department at Misereor, explains why security is more than just military strength, why justice, democracy and international cooperation are key prerequisites for sustainable peace and what special role church actors play in this – particularly in times of rearmament and geopolitical tensions.

Related articles