Peace Review

Reconceptualizing Governance, Peace, and Development in Africa

Under the guest editorship of Colins Imoh, Assistant Professor of Peace Studies and International Development, and Irekpitan Okukpon, Assistant Professor of Law, Theresa Onaji-Benson, Assistant Professor, Business Ethics and CSR, from the University of Bradford—Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice invites submissions for a forthcoming Special Issue titled: “Reconceptualizing Governance, Peace, and Development in Africa.”

Scholarly and policy debates on governance, peace, and development in Africa have often been shaped by dominant global paradigms that emphasize institutional reform, liberal democratic governance, and externally driven development models (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2013). While these frameworks have informed important interventions, they frequently overlook the diverse social realities, historical trajectories, and locally grounded practices that shape governance and peacebuilding across the African continent. In recent years, scholars and practitioners have increasingly called for renewed conceptual approaches that better capture the complex interplay between political authority, social justice, community resilience, and development in African societies. Following the work of scholars who advocate for a "local turn" in peacebuilding (Mac Ginty, 2011), there is an urgent need for renewed conceptual lenses that capture the fluid interplay between political authority, social justice, and community resilience.

This Special Issue, “Reconceptualizing Governance, Peace, and Development in Africa,” seeks to contribute to this growing conversation by inviting submissions that critically examine emerging perspectives and practices that challenge conventional assumptions about governance and peacebuilding. This special issue aims to foreground questions of justice, agency, and transformation while highlighting scholarship that engages with the lived realities of communities navigating insecurity, inequality, and social change.

Across Africa, societies continue to confront multiple and overlapping crises—ranging from armed conflict and political instability to economic precarity, climate change, health emergencies, and technological disruption. These intersecting challenges require renewed attention to how governance, peace, and development are conceptualized and practiced. Rather than treating these domains as separate policy arenas, this Special Issue encourages contributions that explore the interconnections between them and that illuminate innovative strategies through which communities and institutions seek to sustain social order, justice, and wellbeing.

The Special Issue is guided by five interconnected thematic objectives.

Interrogating the Gender–Security–Development Triad
A pivotal dimension of contemporary governance discourse involves the intricate nexus between gender, security, and development. Across diverse African contexts, women and gender-diverse communities occupy indispensable roles in sustaining social fabric, mediating local conflicts, and underpinning resilient livelihoods. Despite this, their contributions are frequently marginalised or rendered invisible within mainstream security and development architectures. Concurrently, entrenched gendered inequalities continue to obstruct equitable access to resources, political agency, and economic opportunity.

We invite contributions that challenge the reduction of "gender mainstreaming" to a performative or bureaucratic exercise. Drawing upon critical African feminist scholarship (Hudson, 2009), we seek papers that rigorously examine how gendered dynamics—specifically the agency of grassroots networks and gender-diverse collectives—actively transform conflict landscapes and development outcomes.

Submissions may explore the transformative potential of women’s movements, community organisers, and local networks in advancing social justice. We particularly welcome scholarship that proposes alternative governance models rooted in African ontological perspectives, as well as critical assessments of existing frameworks that offer contextually grounded pathways toward inclusive peace and security.

Realigning Democracy with Cultural Legitimacy
A primary objective of this Special Issue is to critically revisit the discourse surrounding democracy and legitimacy within African governance. Traditionally, democratic governance has been viewed through the narrow lens of Western institutional models—prioritising periodic elections, constitutional reforms, and formal state structures. However, these frameworks frequently encounter a disconnect when applied to local cultural norms, historical institutions, or community-based expectations of authority.

Across the continent, diverse and resilient forms of leadership continue to thrive. Traditional authorities, community councils, religious institutions, and informal networks play a decisive role in shaping social accountability and collective decision-making. As highlighted by Boege et al. (2009), these arrangements often operate in tandem with state institutions, resulting in "hybrid political orders" that challenge and dissolve rigid distinctions between formal and informal authority.

This theme seeks to explore the complexities of this hybridity. We invite contributions that examine how democratic governance can be more effectively realigned with cultural legitimacy, acknowledging the profound importance of locally rooted practices. We encourage authors to investigate how governance systems can draw upon cultural traditions and social norms to enhance institutional accountability, bolster social cohesion, and ensure that political authority resonates with the communities it serves.

Conceptualizing “Healing Without the State”
Another key theme concerns the processes through which communities address the social and psychological consequences of violence, injustice, and structural inequality. While state institutions and formal justice mechanisms play important roles in conflict resolution and reconciliation, many African societies also rely on community-based approaches to healing, dialogue, and restorative practices.

The concept of “healing without the state” draws attention to the ways in which individuals and communities pursue justice, reconciliation, and social repair outside formal institutional frameworks. These processes may involve traditional dispute-resolution practices, community mediation, faith-based initiatives, or locally organized efforts aimed at rebuilding trust and restoring relationships.

Submissions addressing this theme may explore how communities navigate trauma, conflict, and historical grievances through locally grounded mechanisms of healing and reconciliation. Contributions may also reflect on the implications of such processes for broader debates about justice, governance, and social transformation.

Documenting Strategic Governance in an Age of Polycrisis
African societies are currently navigating an era defined by polycrisis—a term capturing the convergence of simultaneous global and regional disruptions. This includes the compounding effects of climate change, economic volatility, political instability, migration pressures, and public health emergencies. While these interconnected challenges place unprecedented strain on formal governance systems, they also serve as catalysts for profound institutional and community-led innovation. How do African societies adapt to such multifaceted pressure? Drawing upon De Waal’s (2015) critical analysis of political markets and systemic resilience, this Special Issue seeks contributions that document the strategic governance practices emerging from these complex environments. We invite authors to interrogate how governments, civil society, and local communities recalibrate their strategies to manage overlapping crises and sustain social resilience.

Authors may examine how governments, civil society actors, and local communities adapt governance strategies to manage overlapping crises and sustain social resilience. Such analyses may include discussions of policy innovation, collaborative governance, crisis management, or community-led responses to environmental and socioeconomic disruptions. By highlighting these experiences, the Special Issue aims to deepen understanding of how governance structures evolve in response to rapidly changing global conditions.

Bridging the Digital and the Indigenous
Finally, the Special Issue seeks to explore the intersection between technological transformation and indigenous knowledge systems (Chilisa, 2019). Across Africa, digital technologies are reshaping governance practices, economic opportunities, and social interactions. At the same time, indigenous knowledge systems continue to play vital roles in environmental management, conflict resolution, community organization, and cultural continuity.

Rather than viewing technological innovation and indigenous knowledge as competing paradigms, this Special Issue encourages scholarship that examines how these domains intersect and inform one another. Contributions may explore how digital tools are being used to document, preserve, or amplify indigenous knowledge, or how traditional practices inform contemporary approaches to governance and development. This theme also invites critical reflections on issues such as digital inclusion, knowledge sovereignty, and the ethical implications of technological change.

The special issue therefore aims to address the following questions:
1. How do gender dynamics shape the intersections between security, governance, and development in African contexts?
2. How can democratic governance in Africa be aligned with culturally legitimate institutions, practices, and norms?
3. How do communities pursue healing, reconciliation, and social repair outside formal state institutions?
4. What forms of strategic governance are emerging in Africa in response to overlapping and interconnected crises?
5. How can digital innovation and indigenous knowledge systems interact to shape more inclusive and contextually grounded governance and development pathways?