Oliver P. Richmond - Cultures of Governance and Peace: A Comparison of EU and Indian Theoretical and Policy

Cultures of governance and peace assembles a range of critical insights on the intersection of governance, culture and conflict resolution in India and the EU. These two epistemic, cultural and institutional settings, though strikingly different in many ways, have recently been brought closer together by the ideas and practices of what are known as liberal peace and the neoliberal state, as well as associated development projects. While the differences between India and the EU are obvious in terms of geography, culture and the nature and shape of institutions and historical forces, the commonalities are surprising. This is best reflected in their light critiques of neoliberalism, their conceptual relationships with governmentality, their focus on decentralised institutions and local forms of peace agency, the escalatory tendencies of borders and centralising government, and the urgency of development and self-determination pressures. This is the first book to compare contemporary Indian and EU approaches to peace. Based on a range of case studies that examine these themes in the context of the practices of conflict resolution, it provides an overview of governance issues vis--vis the search for peace at local and state or regional levels, highlighting the increasing number of perspectives from within emerging countries. Postgraduate students, peace and conflict researchers, and policy-makers and practitioners will benefit immensely from the insights provided in this book.