Abstract
Armed conflicts, particularly civil conflicts, are frequently marked by episodic swings between violence and peace. Preventing a return to the fighting poses one of the most significant challenges to restoring civil society in war zones. This chapter offers an overview of the sustainable peacebuilding model; with an emphasis on the role reconciliation plays in restoring relationships to achieve a lasting peace. Emphasis is given to the role that various religious leaders played in the case of the Bougainville Crisis (1988–1997), particularly at the level of grassroots leadership, which emphasised relationship building as an antidote to recurring instances of violence. Religious leaders’ intimate knowledge of the socio-cultural dynamics, combined with the trust they held among a large constituency, allowed them to play a critical role in forging an enduring peace.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Armed conflicts, particularly civil conflicts, are frequently marked by episodic swings between violence and peace. I use the term ‘tentative peace’ to indicate the time between an armed conflict and a lasting peace. Whether the peace lasts is often determined after that fact, but usually includes the implementation of sustainable peacebuilding measures, including reconciliation strategies.
References
Chowning, A. (1979). Leadership in Melanesia. The Journal of Pacific History, 15, 66–84.
Creedon, J. (1999). To Hell and Back: To break the cycle of revenge (pp. 56–59). March–April: Countries Must Look Beyond the Law. Utne Reader.
David, C. (1999). Does peacebuilding build peace? Liberal (mis)steps in the peace process. Security Dialogue, 30(1), 25–41.
Denoon, D. (2000). Getting under the skin: The Bougainville Copper Agreement and the creation of the Panguna Mine. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
Dorney, S. (1998). The Sandline affair: Politics and mercenaries and the Bougainville crisis. Sydney: ABC Books.
Fisher, R. (2001). Social-Psychological processes in interactive conflict analysis and reconciliation. In M. Abu-Nimer (Ed.), Reconciliation, justice and coexistence: Theory and practice (pp. 25–45). Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.
Galtung, J. (2001). After violence, reconstruction, reconciliation, and resolution: Coping with the visible and invisible effects of war and violence. In M. Abu-Nimer (Ed.), Reconciliation, justice and coexistence: theory and practice (pp. 3–23). Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.
Garasu, L. (2002). The role of women in promoting peace and reconciliation. Accord, 12, 8–31.
Graybill, L. (2001). To punish or pardon: A comparison of the international criminal tribunal for Rwanda and the South African truth and reconciliation commission. Human Rights Review, 2, 3–18.
Hiambohn, W. (1989). Landowners resort to sabotage in panguna. Pacific Islands Monthly, 16–19.
Howley, P. (2002). Breaking spears and mending hearts. London and Sydney: Zed Books and The Federation Press.
Kaufmann, C. (1996). Possible and impossible solutions to ethnic civil wars. International Security, 20, 136–175.
Kriesberg, L. (2001). Changing forms of coexistence. In M. Abu-Nimer (Ed.), Reconciliation, justice and coexistence: Theory and practice (pp. 47–64). Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.
Krog, A. (1997). Country of my skull: Guilt, sorrow, and the limits of forgiveness in the New South Africa. New York: Random House.
Lederach, J. (1997). Building peace: sustainable reconciliation in divided societies. United States Institute of Peace: Washington D.C.
Lederach, J. (1999). The journey toward reconciliation. Pennsylvania: Herald Press.
Lerche, C. (2000). Peace building through reconciliation. International Journal of Peace Studies, 5, 61–76.
McMillan, S. (1998). Bringing peace to Bougainville. New Zealand International Review, 23, 2–9.
Minow, M. (1998). Between vengeance and forgiveness: Facing history after genocide and mass violence. Boston: Beacon Press.
Montville, J. (2001). Justice and the burdens of history. In M. Abu-Nimer (Ed.), Reconciliation, justice and coexistence: Theory and practice (pp. 129–143). Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books.
Oliver, D. (1992). Black Islanders: A personal perspective of Bougainville 1937–1991. Melbourne: Hyland House Publishing.
Pinoko, P. (2001). Breaking spears and breaking bread: Toward a theology of reconciliation in Melanesia. Unpublished Thesis: Weston Jesuit School of Theology.
Polomka, P. (1990). Chronology of the current Bougainville crisis. Bougainville: perspectives on a crisis (pp. 81–82). Canberra: Strategic and Defence Centre, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University.
Regan, A. (1998). Causes and course of the Bougainville conflict. The Journal of Pacific History, 33, 269–285.
Regan, A. (1999). Conflict among Bougainvilleans 1988–1998: Implications for the peace process. SSGM/Political and Social Change Seminar, Retrieved from http://rspas.anu.edu.au/Melanesia/ajregan1.htm.
Robie, D. (1989). Bougainville One Year Later. Pacific Islands Monthly, 10–18.
Saovana-Spriggs, R. (2000). Christianity and women in Bougainville. In B. Douglas (Ed.), Women and governance from the grassroots in melanesia (pp. 27–30). Canberra: The Australian National University.
Spence, R. (1999). The Centrality of community-led recovery. In G. Harris (ed.) Recovery from Armed conflict in developing countries (pp. 204–223). London: Routledge 1999.
Trompf, G. (1991). Melanesian religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Walsh, B. (1996). Resolving the human rights violations of a previous regime. World Affairs, 158, 111–121.
Wesley-Smith, T. (1990). The Politics of access: mining companies, the state and landowners in Papua New Guinea. Political Science, 42, 1–19.
Wesley-Smith, T., & Ogan, E. (1992). Copper, class and crisis: Changing relations of production in Bougainville. The Contemporary Pacific, 4, 245–267.
Zehr, H. (1997). Restoring justice: Envisioning a justice process focused on healing not punishment. The Other Side, 22–27.
Zehr, H. (1999). Justice: Retribution or restoration? Peacework, 10–11.
Zimmerman-Herr, J. (1999). The role of NGO’s in peacebuilding. Together, 64, 1–3.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fisher, S. (2018). Religious Leadership and the Forging of an Enduring Narrative of Peace in the Aftermath of the Bougainville Crisis. In: Jenkins, B., Subedi, D., Jenkins, K. (eds) Reconciliation in Conflict-Affected Communities. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6800-3_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6800-3_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-6798-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-6800-3
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)