PeaceTech: The Liminal Spaces of Digital Technology in Peacebuilding

Pamina Firchow, Charles Martin-Shields

George Mason University

Atalia Omer

University of Notre Dame

&

Roger Mac Ginty

University of Manchester

This collection of articles contributes to the growing body of research on how technology is affecting peacebuilding, peace and conflict studies, and research methodologies in the field. Assumptions about the use of technology for peace are interrogated, such as the purported deepening of inclusivity and widening of participation that technology provides to peacebuilders and communities. It frames the discussion from a peace-focused perspective, providing a response to the work done by others who have focused on the ways technology makes violence more likely. This supports a holistic discussion of the ways that technology can have an impact on contentious social and political processes. By expanding the base of knowledge about how technology can be used for peace and violence, we hope this collection increases the understanding of the circumstances under which technology amplifies peace.

Keywords: peacebuilding, digital technologies, research methodologies, conflict

Articles in This Forum
Introduction
Pamina Firchow and Charles Martin-Shields

Tweet Your Cause: Cyber Witnessing and the Case of Palestinian Solidarity
Atalia Omer

Technology and Collective Action during Crisis: The Role of ICTs in Samoan
Disaster Response, with Applications for Violence Prevention

Charles Martin-Shields

The Practicalities and Ethics of Mobile Phone Surveys in Conflict-Affected
Contexts
Pamina Firchow and Roger Mac Ginty