CSS researchers in podcast on “Civilian agency, armed groups and international law”

Several Creating Safer Space project researchers contributed to the series “Civilian agency, armed groups and international law” of the Beyond Compliance: In Conversation Podcast, which is co-hosted by CSS project team member Florian Weigand together with Katharine Fortin.

In Episode 4, “Negotiating with Armed Actors”, Riyad Anwar and Abellia Anggi Wardani of the project “Exploring Community Perceptions and Coping Strategies on Violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar” talk with Ashley Jackson and the podcast hosts about their research on civilian agency during the armed conflicts in Myanmar and Afghanistan, respectively, asking: How do civilian communities negotiate with armed groups? What do people try to achieve in these negotiations? And what enables them to negotiate with an armed actor?

In Episode 11, “Civilian Self-Protection and Land”, Marwan Darweish and Piergiuseppe Parisi of the projects “Enhancing unarmed civilian protection amongst Palestinian communities in the South Hebron Hills” and “‘Ritualising’ protection in conflict” talk with the podcast hosts about their research on the different ways in which civilian communities resist against armed actors in Colombia and Palestine, asking: How does a community’s relationship with the land they live on feed into their experiences of harm? What solutions do they find to protect themselves?

In Episode 7, “Victimhood & Everyday Peace”, CSS co-investigator Roger Mac Ginty discusses with Kieran McEvoy and the hosts about Northern Ireland and their research on civilians navigating armed conflicts across the world. What role did civilians play during the conflict and peace process in Northern Ireland? How does agency relate to victimhood and transitional justice? And how can people contribute to ‘everyday’ peace?

The Podcast Series features a range of other interesting discussions will well-known researchers in the areas of civilian protection and civilian agency in conflict, and we highly recommend delving into it!