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Cosmopolitanism and the culture of peacebuilding
Citation
Goetze, C and Bliesemann de Guevara, B, Cosmopolitanism and the culture of peacebuilding, Review of International Studies, 40, (4) pp. 771-802. ISSN 0260-2105 (2014) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2014 British International Studies Association
DOI: doi:10.1017/S026021051300051X
Abstract
Cosmopolitanism has been argued to be a crucial component of peacebuilding, both
with regard to its aims as well as its staff. In a universalist-liberal understanding of the concept,
cosmopolitanism is the optimal mind frame for peacebuilders to rebuild post-war societies, due
to the tolerance, justice-orientation, and neutrality regarding local cleavages that the concept
entails in theory. This article argues, however, that cosmopolitanism cannot be understood
outside of its social context, therefore requiring sociological empirical analyses. Drawing on
three such sociological concepts, namely elite, glocal, and localisable cosmopolitanism, the
article analyses empirically through interviews with peacebuilders in Kosovo whether and in
which form these international civil servants display cosmopolitan worldviews. The study concludes
that while in theory the localisable variant would be best suited to contribute to locally
sensitive, emancipatory peacebuilding, this form of cosmopolitanism is absent in practice.
Given the novel, exploratory character of this analysis of hitherto uncharted terrain, the article
also discusses in detail how the findings were obtained and in how far they are generalisable
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | peacebuilding; cosmopolitanism; United Nations |
Research Division: | Human Society |
Research Group: | Political science |
Research Field: | International relations |
Objective Division: | Law, Politics and Community Services |
Objective Group: | International relations |
Objective Field: | International organisations |
UTAS Author: | Goetze, C (Dr Catherine Goetze) |
ID Code: | 112231 |
Year Published: | 2014 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 18 |
Deposited By: | Office of the School of Social Sciences |
Deposited On: | 2016-10-31 |
Last Modified: | 2017-12-14 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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