Temporality and contextualisation in Peace and Conflict Studies: The forgotten value of war memoirs and personal diaries

Mac Ginty, Roger

Abstract

This article contributes to debates on appropriate levels of analysis, temporality, and the utility of fieldwork in relation to Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS), and International Relations more generally. It observes a recentism or privileging of the recent past in our studies and a consequent overlooking of the longer term. As a corrective, the article investigates the extent to which wartime memoirs and personal diaries (specifically from World War I and World War II) can help inform the study of contemporary peace and conflict. In essence, the article is a reflection on the epistemologies and methodologies employed by PCS and an investigation of the need for greater contextualisation.

Citation

Mac Ginty, R. (2022). Temporality and contextualisation in Peace and Conflict Studies: The forgotten value of war memoirs and personal diaries. Cooperation and Conflict, 57(2), 191-209. https://doi.org/10.1177/00108367211027605

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 8, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Oct 21, 2021
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jun 9, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 10, 2021
• Journal: Cooperation and Conflict
• Print ISSN: 0010-8367
• Electronic ISSN: 1460-3691
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 57
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 191-209
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00108367211027605
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1274193