ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 examines the many forms that intractable conflicts take and the different kinds of interconnected violence they inform: sexual and political, intimate and public. By expanding upon the links made in earlier chapters between militarization, hyper-masculinization, and gendered violence in the context of protracted ethno-nationalist conflicts, this chapter reflects on the peace established by ceasefires and treaties. Such “peace” is characterized by de-escalation of (and, sometimes, disengagement from) political violence, but not the delegitimization or non-use of it. As a result, the cycle of violence keeps recurring in society, drawing from the existing structures and cultures of conflict. People become conflict-habituated, and violence among them takes on different shapes and mutates using various tools. Often, however, because there is no apparent escalation or exacerbation of the scale of violence, proclamations of peace are made. This chapter underlines the need to reject such proclamations and work toward establishing positive peace based on cooperation and mutual healing, especially among the most marginalized constituencies like migrant communities and women.
