The distinction of peace: a social analysis of peacebuilding

"Peacebuilding" serves as a catch-all term to describe efforts by an array of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and even agencies of foreign states to restore or construct a peaceful society in the wake – or even in the midst – of conflict. Despite this variety, practitioners consider themselves members of a global profession. In this study, Catherine Goetze investigates the genesis of peacebuilding as a professional field of expertise since the 1960s, its increasing influence, and the ways it reflects global power structures. Step-by-step, Goetze describes how the peacebuilding field came into being, how it defines who belongs to it and who does not, and what kind of group culture it has generated. Using an innovative and original methodology, she investigates the motivations of individuals who become peacebuilders, their professional trajectories and networks, and the ‘good peacebuilder’ as an ideal.