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Faithful brokers? Potentials and pitfalls of religion in peacemaking
Author(s) -
Harpviken Kristian Berg,
Røislien Hanne Eggen
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
conflict resolution quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.323
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1541-1508
pISSN - 1536-5581
DOI - 10.1002/crq.212
Subject(s) - peacemaking , normative , identity (music) , sociology , function (biology) , religious identity , social psychology , political science , epistemology , law , psychology , social science , philosophy , negotiation , evolutionary biology , biology , aesthetics
Recent years have seen increasing interest in the potential of religion for peacemaking. This article conceptualizes the role of religious actors in peacemaking, starting from a distinction among three facets of religion: its normative aspect, its relationship to identity, and its organizational function. Each may feed into the emergence or escalation of conflict, and each is in itself transformed through exposure to armed conflict. Similarly, each facet forms part of the peacemaking potential of religious actors in various ways. Focusing on the identity aspect of religion, along with the extent to which a given identity is shared by both the broker and conflictual parties, we suggest that religious brokers may be of three distinct types: the “liaison,” the “coordinator,” and the “representative.”