We are pleased to announce that the competence network Postcolonial Hierarchies in Peace and Conflict(Hierarchies) has been granted a two-year extension by the BMFTR, beginning 1 April 2026.
Hierarchies examines how historically rooted postcolonial power structures shape contemporary conflicts and influence sustainable conflict transformation. The network critically engages with peace and conflict practices, the transfer of paradigms, and knowledge production in the field. Responding to the BMBF’s 2020 call, it contributes to debates on global peace and security while analysing international peace architectures, strengthening Peace and Conflict Studies and offering a visible resource for scholars worldwide.
In the 2026–28 funding phase, the network will build on its objectives from the first phase. It will advance interdisciplinary research, consolidate partnerships – particularly with colleagues from the Global South – and further develop structures such as the Virtual Encyclopaedia (https://rewritingpeaceandconflict.net/). Dissemination activities, transfer events, and work towards a follow-up project will support the network’s sustainability beyond 2028.
Since the network’s launch in 2022, global dynamics have shifted significantly, evidenced by challenges to the liberal international order. Current conflicts have intensified rejections of liberal concepts. At the same time, rising political polarisation, extremism, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim racism underscore the urgent need for research on postcolonial hierarchies. In response, the network will strengthen its focus on global entanglements, examining how colonial legacies continue to shape political, economic, and cultural relations, and how these hierarchies manifest in everyday life – through racial and gender prejudice, security governance, practices of peacebuilding, and media representation. The second funding phase will also expand the network’s engagement with political economy to better understand how postcolonial economic structures perpetuate conflict.
We thank the BMFTR for its continued support and look forward to further advancing this important work.
11.12.2025
