ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that alongside the proliferation of peacebuilding institutions, there is no consensus about the role, aims, and effects of international post-conflict peace-building programmes and initiatives in Africa. It traces the rise of post-conflict peacebuilding in sub-Saharan Africa and the types of activities and practices that typically fall under its purview. The chapter analyses different perspectives on post-conflict peacebuilding in Africa, along with related criticisms. It also argues that post-conflict peacebuilding may be best thought of as a contest between multiple shifting ideas and practices, where the stakes are high and where continued violence is often a very real possibility. The widely shared conviction in peacebuilding as liberal governance coincided with the end of the Cold War. Peacebuilding as stabilization is a descriptive framework for understanding contemporary peacebuilding practices, yet it also raises different moral claims. The chapter highlights the rise of post-conflict peacebuilding in sub-Saharan Africa, and the different activities and approaches commonly associated with it.
