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Berghof Handbook for Conflict Transformation

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The Berghof Handbook for Conflict Transformation offers a continuously updated online publication platform for both academics and practitioners to review the state of the art, discuss new ideas and exchange experiences in the field of conflict transformation.


The content comes in the form of:

  • commissioned state-of-the-art Articles by leading experts (below)
  • a Handbook Dialogues Series on cutting-edge or controversial issues by scholars and practitioners from different disciplines and world regions

Concepts of Conflict Transformation

What is conflict transformation about, and how does it relate to other concepts like peacebuilding, conflict resolution or conflict settlement?

Cross-cutting challenges

How can one address and mainstream these cross-cutting challenges relevant to all conflict interventions, such as power and power asymmetry, justice, fostering social change, cultural diversity, traditional values and methods, gender, nonviolence, human rights and security?

Conflict analysis

How do we analyse conflicts and violence, and what do these analyses tell us in terms of strategy development?

Actors and sectors

One of the most talked about actors in conflict transformation is civil society - what are its roles and potential? What roles do other actors and sectors have, like youth, the business and the security sector? How do state reform and state formation come into play?

Dialogue, mediation and negotiation

Central tools of the trade of conflict transformation and peacebuilding are negotiation, mediation and dialogue. What are their core elements?

Strengthening capacities

Conflict transformation work is also devoted to strengthening the capacities for dealing with conflict peacefully - of individuals, of teams, of institutions. How do communication and facilitation, process design, training, theatre work, media assistance and peace education strengthen the ability to deal with conflict peacefully?

Post-war reconstruction

What opportunities and challenges do post-war reconstruction phases offer? How do development, reconstruction and peacekeeping approaches interact with conflict transformation?

Transitional justice and reconciliation

How can societies and individuals deal with the legacies of a violent past, ensuring healing on an individual as well as collective level?

Impact assessment and evaluation

How do we learn what good conflict interventions do? What are the latest developments in impact assessment and evaluation?

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