ABSTRACT
What do recognition and inclusion mean and why are they important to peacebuilders? Many violent conflicts erupt when feelings of antagonism, rivalries, bitterness and fear which have deep historical roots affect people in personal ways, so that their identities feel challenged. In such societies, individuals and groups feel unrecognized, unappreciated, discriminated against, marginalized and angry. These people rarely are included in any meaningful way in peace processes. When uniqueness of self-identity, collective identity and national identity is not recognized by others and not affirmed, emotions of rage, disappointment and bitterness associated with exclusion can erupt into aggressive reactions. An explosion of violence may be based on stereotypical distorted views of the enemy or the ethnically hated and are a potent force for social exclusion. The recognition and affirmation of identities and the inclusion of different groups in all aspects of peacebuilding is crucial, to minimize and ultimately suppress such negative feelings and the violent responses that they provoke. This chapter has four main aims. First, it builds a case for the importance of recognition of identity in peacebuilding work. Second, it explains the strengths and limitations of liberal democratic paradigms of tolerance, coexistence and pluralism as strategies for inclusion. Third, it explains some of the principles underlying coalition-building. Fourth, it provides examples of ways in which women peacebuilders have formed coalitions as strategies for inclusion in peace processes.
