Team members of the project Art that Protects, phase 2: Networks as strategies for self-protection in the context of urban conflict in the city of Medellín, 2023 have published a new article (in Spanish), under the title “El papel del arte en el conflicto armado urbano en Medellín. David contra Goliat: redes vivas y autoprotección“. It is authored by Beatriz E. Arias López, Laura Jiménez Ospina, and Sandra Benítez Diosa.

The article analyses the scope and dynamics of networking among artistic and cultural initiatives for self-protection in the city of Medellín. It finds that the studied organisations form a non-hierarchical network structure based on political and aesthetic affinities, oriented towards an alternative popular artistic movement. Their links are strengthened through the exchange of knowledge between established and emerging organisations, intergenerational relationships, and collective activities. The authors conclude that these ‘networks of joy’ represent a living movement and symbolise the metaphor of David against Goliath, in which nearly sixty collectives face 380 criminal groups in territories with little state presence. In adverse conditions, these organisations seek to create a cultural, ethical and political alternative for community protection and a cultural counter-offer, especially for the city’s youth.

The open access article can be downloaded HERE.

The team of the project “Visualising early warning and preparedness in civilian protection“, Chas Morrisson, Haji Elias Hillary, and Diria Vicky Thomas, have published a new article titled “Cultures and practices of local civilian self-protection in South Sudan” in the journal Peacebuilding.

The article explores South Sudanese cultural practices used for civilian self-protection, early warning and conflict preparedness, and their psychological implications. The authors find that cultural practices to avoid, postpone, or negotiate conflict show some ethnic distinctions, tend to be traditional and rely on spiritual or customary authority. While there are secular dimensions, a key aspect of these practices relates to esoteric protection, using defensive curses and sanctifying objects and places. The articles argues that community self-protection practices emerge as a core aspect of cultural life and group identity, with resonance beyond immediate protection and responding to insecurity.

Download the open access article HERE.

The Creating Safer Space project “Civilian (Self-) Protection from Violent Conflict in Papua” has published the article “Violence and Civilian Strategy for Protection in West Papua, Indonesia“ in the Journal of Peacebuilding & Development. It is authored by Arfiansyah.

The article discusses findings of the project’s qualitative research in Jayapura, Sorong, and Wamena in November 2022 and June 2023. Building on the concept of agency and Joshua Barter’s classification of strategy for civilian protection, it finds that violence and strategies for civilian protection in West Papua are contextualized by local development, geopolitics, and demographic composition between transmigrants and indigenous Papuans, which also determine the agents’ capacity to respond to violence and to build protection strategies. The research contributes the concept of nonpartisan peace voice as a protection strategy. It highlights that a common feature of the protection strategy that the Papuans in the research locations share is the mobilization of both international and local networks.