ABSTRACT
Dr. Linda Bishai Director of Research, Evaluation, and Learning at American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative; previously Director of North Africa Programs, United States Institute of Peace.
This chapter provides critical reflections on the sources of knowledge and expertise on conflict in Northern Nigeria. Drawing on experience with helping to implement a program for the United States Institute of Peace in Nigeria, the author critically evaluates the forms and types of expertise sought in designing, planning and implementing prevention of violent extremism programs in Kaduna and Plateau states. This involves examining what forms of knowledge will be included in approaching a new context for programming, and what forms of knowledge are excluded. For example, the Institute sits at the nexus of a variety of civilian sources of expertise, such as the Department of State, the US Agency for International Development, think tanks, NGOs, and numerous academic departments of African Studies. These sources are all routinely included in preparatory analysis for peacebuilding programs, while Department of Defense expertise is normally excluded. The chapter also reflects upon the transmission of knowledge from Washington, DC to the local context in the form of narratives and other training practices. It aims to contribute to the sociology of knowledge about conflict expertise in the peacebuilding and US policy arena.
