ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes a new epistemological alternative to study the impact of post-conflict peacebuilding. In the context of peace figuration, the analysis of events focuses on analysing what Michel Foucault called discursive events articulated through political statements. The chapter elucidates the usefulness of the figurational sociology of Norbert Elias for re-examining the relational impact of peacebuilding in conflict-affected societies. Figurations signify the processual and dynamic nature of human interactions characterised by interdependence and asymmetrical power balances. Figurational sociology is concerned with the study of social complexity, agential assemblages, structural contingencies, and unintended consequences. In capturing the relational nature of peacebuilding interventions, the chapter introduces peace figuration as a new framework for analysing the intentions, events and consequences of peacebuilding interventions in post-conflict societies. An analytical framework helps to identify important categories of research inquiry. It helps to organise the information in a particular order and also to disentangle relationships among various categories.
