Relationships Are Critical for Peacekeeping

Drawing Out Experiential Conflict Knowledge in Myanmar: Arts-Based Methods in Qualitative Research With Conflict-Affected Communities

“…Kachin Baptist Convention churches allotted spaces for the refugees. They also tried to get in contact with NGOs.Another participant implicitly emphasised what unarmed civilian protection actors refer to as relationship building with all actors involved in a conflict as one of the most crucial elements of local civilian-to-civilian protection work (Furnari, 2015), when he related: “Even though I am not a member of the IDP camp administration committee or otherwise in charge, I am often asked to counsel and troubleshoot, because I am someone who knows how to talk to military personnel or leaders.” “Knowing how to talk to” armed actors or authorities refers to a specific social skill and awareness of the role of relationships, which this participant knew to use to solve problems for people in his IDP camp.…”

Researching with ‘Local’ Associates: Power, Trust and Data in an Interpretive Project on Communities’ Conflict Knowledge in Myanmar

“…Among us Northern researchers, there was a general willingness to build trustful relationships. Years of engagement with actors in conflict zones, a feminist and/or interpretivist sensitivity towards these actors' experiential-practical knowledge, and the principles of unarmed civilian protection work (the professional background to two of us) which revolve around relationship-building and the primacy of local actors (Furnari 2015), were factors that contributed to a general trusting disposition. This was strengthened by the rewards to be expected from a trusting, power-sharing collaboration in view of the project's practical constraints and interpretive research design.…”