Africa peace imaginaries and ontology The past, the present and the future

The metanarratives and dominant theories on peace discourses in Africa have not reflected enough of local experiences and understanding. African peace and conflict scholarships depend largely on theories developed outside of the continent; the epistemologies for analysing the broader peace concept are disconnected from local contexts. This disconnect extends to how peace is defined, constructed, and communicated.

The very few works that attempt quasi-theorisation, edge(d) around cultural parallels, folk narratives, and reimaginations. There is therefore a need for conscious African interrogation, peace ontology, peace conceptulisation, communication, and peace theorisation. Also crucial is the concern about the implications of these meanings on future understanding of peace.

As a social concept, peace is not independent of the lived experiences of the people. This panel welcomes papers that address some of the concerns outlined above and that can contribute to discussions, debates, and ideas on how peace is constructed, interpreted, and communicated by communities in Africa.