Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: This paper reviews recent debates in peace and conflict studies on the theoretical and empirical\nintegration of spatial categories. We examine three notable strands of research. The first\nconsists of studies that analyze the influence of topography, borders, and resource availability\non the occurrence of international and intra-state war. The second strand comprises recent\nstudies in civil war research focusing on territory and territorial control. The third strand is\nthe debate on so-called environmental conflicts. We argue that most studies in all three fields\nare limited to the analysis of allegedly external material influences on violent conflict, failing\nto take into account the social and political meaning of physical materiality. We examine how\nrecent research methodologically deals with interrelated scales (local, national, global). We\nargue that an analysis of the relationship between space and conflict should encompass both\nthe materiality of space and its social meaning, and that these two aspects find themselves\nin a mutually constitutive relationship. Spatial theory therefore provides a useful approach.
Authors: Sven Chojnacki, Bettina Engels
Institution: Freie Universität Berlin
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2751976555