Sulhu as Local Peacebuilding

Titelangaben

Akintayo, Joshua:
Sulhu as Local Peacebuilding.
In: Peacebuilding. Bd. 14 (2026) Heft 2 . - S. 144-163.
ISSN 2164-7267
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2025.2450574

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Abstract

Local peacebuilding surfaced to contest the fundamental premise of the liberal peace paradigm, specifically its hierarchical top-down approach and inadequacy in guaranteeing sustainable peace. However, scholarly works have yet to adequately address the question of who, what, and where ‘the local’ is in local peacebuilding. Drawing on interviews, this study explores Sulhu, a religious norm of mediation and reconciliation rooted in the socio-cultural precepts of Northern Nigeria, to advance the concept of local peacebuilding. In doing so, it examines Sulhu as local peace deployed in the community reintegration of former terrorists in Nigeria. Sulhu broadens theoretical discussions around the ‘ontological’ imprecision in the local peacebuilding discourse by advancing that ‘the local’ in local peacebuilding be understood as contextual beliefs, norms, and practices. This study advances the field of peacebuilding research by answering the question of ‘what is the local’ in local peacebuilding. The article concludes that drawing from cultural precepts such as Sulhu can aid communal rehabilitation and reconciliation in contexts affected by terrorism, conflict, and violence more broadly.