The Continuation of Conflict-related Violence in Postwar Cities: Mapping violence at the street level

Project Period

2020 – 2024

Project leader

• Emma Elfversson, Researcher

Other project members

• Ivan Gusic, Co-PI, Malmö University
• Sebastian van Baalen, Researcher, DPCR Uppsala
• Brendan Murtagh, Professor, Queen’s University Belfast
• Claire Veale, Research Assistant 
• Rokon Uddin, Research Assistant

Former project members

• Nguyen Ha, Research Assistant 
• Marie-Therese Meye, Research Assistant 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The continuation of conflict-related violence from war to peace tends to be particularly concentrated in contested postwar cities. Beirut (Lebanon), Belfast (Northern Ireland), Mitrovica (Kosovo) and Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) are all topical cases where, to different degree, such violence has concentrated – in turn, making these postwar cities dangerous for citizens to live in; poorly functioning; and flashpoints for renewed armed conflict. The concentration of conflict-related violence in postwar cities thus has grave consequences in, for, and beyond them. Understanding the patterns and causes of this violence necessitates comparative data on how, when, and where conflict-related violence manifests in postwar cities.

This project addresses this research gap by creating a comprehensive large-N dataset on conflict-related violence in postwar cities, where events are disaggregated and geocoded at the street level. We use this novel data to analyse patterns and trends of conflict-related violence in postwar cities and explore its causes. To complement quantitative analysis and assess theoretical mechanisms at more depth, we conduct fieldwork in the postwar cities Beirut, Belfast, Mitrovica and Abidjan.

As a whole, the project aims to advance our theoretical and empirical knowledge on conflict-related violence in postwar cities. In turn, this knowledge can be used to theorise preventive measures, explore intraurban conflict dynamics, and assess the impact of conflict-related violence on the constitution and functioning of postwar cities.

• The Swedish Research Council (Grant 2019-02563)

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

• Emma Elfversson, Ivan Gusic, Marie-Therese Meye, & Thao-Nguyen Ha, 2022. “Geocoding as a method for mapping conflict-related violence.” In: Oliver Richmond & Gëzim Visoka (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11795-5_214-1
• Emma Elfversson, Ivan Gusic and Kristine Höglund (eds.) (2020) The Spatiality of Violence in Post-war Cities. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN: 9780367471361.
• Ivan Gusic (2020) ”Divided Cities”, in: Richmond O., Visoka G. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.