Introduction

The Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) in collaboration with the CoRE on Interdisciplinary Peace is organizing a workshop titled “Ontologies of Peace in Ethiopian Societies”. While conventional research often prioritizes the mechanics of conflict resolution or peacebuilding, this workshop seeks to explore the deeper philosophical and cultural foundations that underpin how peace is understood and lived.

To have a holistic understanding of peace while appreciating the specific characteristics of diverse cultures, it is important to establish the relationship between societal worldviews and the conceptualization of peace and harmony. This workshop seeks to move beyond exploring the rituals and mechanisms of peacemaking or conflict resolution to examine the “ontologies of peace”, the fundamental mythos of a given society. Cognizant that an understanding of the rituals, songs, artifacts, stories, and other material and non-material values associated with the peace making / conflict resolution process are central to the work, the workshop calls on researchers who critically examine the articulation of “peace” or related concepts such as “reconciliation” through these diverse materials.

We invite papers that delve into the often-taken-for-granted etymological and semantic but deeply philosophical foundations of the notions of peace. Focusing on the very conceptualization of peace rather than just its practice, we aim to broaden the shared understanding concerning the diverse intellectual and cultural standards associated with social stability across cultures and societies. Through this lens, the workshop seeks to map the “ontologies of peace”, thereby capturing both the significant points of convergence in our shared humanity or nationality and the essential divergences that make each cultural conceptualization unique.

Themes

Papers should broadly fall under one of the following thematic areas that will be covered during the workshop:

1. Ethnography: exploring how the concept of peace is understood, narrated, and practiced in everyday lives of a certain or across societies in However, such ethnographic papers should go beyond describing ethnographic rituals and material expressions to amplify the nature and essence of their definitions of peace and other related concepts.
2. Linguistic, Semantic and Etymological Foundations: Investigating the linguistic roots and meanings of “peace” and “reconciliation” within or shared among specific Ethiopian languages toward exploring how foundational myths, oral traditions, and societal narratives construct a specific outlook on social harmony and order.
3. Philosophical Worldviews: Examining the underlying philosophical frameworks that define the essence of a “peaceful” individual, family, community, society, etc.
4. Conceptualizing Reconciliation: Moving beyond the act of reconciling to analyze the deep-seated cultural and intercultural understanding of restored relationships and social balance and harmony.

Expected Outputs

• Workshop proceedings
• Journal special edition

Workshop Format

We prefer an in-person presentation, we will avail funding for local flights, accommodation and modest honorarium for participants within Ethiopia. But we are open to accommodating few online presenters.