Review of ‘Peacebuilding and friction: Global and local encounters in post-conflict societies’

Abstract

This review critically engages with two chapters from Peacebuilding and Friction: Global and Local Encounters in Post-Conflict Societies—Chapter Five, “Sites of Friction: Governance, Identity and Space in Mostar” by Annika Björkdahl and Ivan Gusic, and Chapter Six, “The Imagined Agent of Peace: Frictions in Peacebuilding through Civil Society Strengthening” by Willemijn Verkoren and Mathijs van Leeuwen. The review explores how liberal peacebuilding initiatives often clash with local post-conflict realities, using Mostar, Bosnia, as a central case study. Björkdahl and Gusic examine how the divided city continues to experience political, social, and spatial tensions driven by ethnonationalist identities and elite power struggles, which undermine democratic governance and civic unity. Similarly, Verkoren and van Leeuwen interrogate the romanticized role of civil society in peacebuilding and highlight how political infiltration and competing interests can compromise its intended transformative power. Drawing parallels with the post-conflict dynamics of Sierra Leone, this review underscores how hidden political divisions and elite manipulation persistently threaten democratic consolidation and sustainable peace. The review concludes that while international peacebuilding frameworks emphasize democracy, inclusivity, and civil participation, these ideals often encounter resistance when confronted with entrenched local interests and identities. The text is recommended for students and scholars of peace and development studies seeking to understand the complexities and contradictions of peacebuilding in deeply divided societies.