11.10.2022 Postcolonial Hierarchies Network holds its first ThinkLab

The first ThinkLab of the network Postcolonial Hierarchies in Peace & Conflict Studies took place at the Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institut für kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung on 5th and 6th of October 2022. During these two days, the network provided a dialogic space to deliberate and exchange perspectives on its defining notion: postcolonial hierarchies. Over two days, scholars of the network and invited guest speakers interrogated three of the conceptual tenets of the research network, namely: postcoloniality, decoloniality, and hierarchies, scrutinizing the different meanings attached to each concept, their temporal and geographical trajectories, their origins and context-specific translations. The ThinkLab was offered an arena to collectively interrogate, reflect, and create analytical/interpretive perspectives on how to understand, explore, and dismantle postcolonial hierarchies in peace and conflict (studies). Among the invited speakers figured:

• Prof. Dr. Madina Tlostanova (Linköping University)
• Prof. Dr. Layla D. Brown (Northeastern University)
• Dr. Amya Agarwal (Arnold Bergstraesser Institute)
• Prof. Dr. Emery Mudinga (Anganza Institute, Bukavu series)
• Dr. Roxana Willis (LSE/FRIAS)
• Prof. Dr. Piro Rexhepi (Southern New Hampshire University)
• Dr. Mahdis Azarmandi (Canterbury University)
• Dr. Filiberto Penados (Galen University/CELA Belize)
• Dr. Emile Sunjo (University of Buea & University of Oxford)

On the evening of the 5th of October 2022, participants attended a hybrid Public Lecture at the University of Freiburg, held by Paul Basu (University of Bonn) on “Colonial Heritage & Knowledge Production in Conflict”. The lecture was chaired by Prof. Dr. Andreas Mehler (ABI Freiburg / Hierarchies) and followed by commentaries by Prof. Dr. Susanne Buckley-Zistel (University of Marburg / Hierarchies) and Dr. Siddharth Tripathi (University of Erfurt / Hierarchies).

The network "Postcolonial Hierarchies in Peace and Conflict" (Hierarchies) is a collaborative project of the Arnold Bergstraesser Institute in Freiburg, the Center for Conflict Studies at the Philipps University Marburg, the University of Bayreuth, and the University of Erfurt. It is an interdisciplinary research initiative funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).