Introduction

Abstract

A quick glance at some recent newspaper headlines will show that peace in South Africa, for instance, is very different from peace in Cyprus, while the peace that emerged immediately after the war in Cambodia is very different from the peace one finds there now. Even just in these three contexts, there is a huge variety in what peace means for all actors involved and the resulting political developments beyond the simple absence of war. However, research thus far has not managed to fully understand what truly constitutes peace, nor to explain the different varieties of peace that evolve after war. So how can we grasp peace beyond the absence of war? This question has gained increasing attention in peace and conflict studies (see for example