Conflict, Security and Development

The aim of this subject is to provide a grounding in analytical approaches to the political economy of conflict, security and development. To achieve this aim, we draw on the notion of the 'continuum of violence’ to show how differing forms of violence are connected in complex ways throughout the various processes of development. The subject examines the foundational theories of conflict and violence, including gender perspectives, debates about the origins of human violence, and the role of violence in historical change. Against this background, we explore a range of competing theories and claims in development theory to trace ways assumptions have influenced ideas regarding the causes and dynamics of conflict . Further, the subject looks critically at contemporary efforts to address insecurity and conflict through conflict mediation, ‘state building’, and post conflict stabilization/reconstruction. We also examine empirical trends in relation to conflict, and the varied responses, to areas that include insecurity/violent conflict; the difficulties of data collection; and the importance of categorization and boundaries to matters of conflict and development.