How People Respond to Violence : Everyday Peace and the Maoist Conflict in India

This book explores the powerful role of ordinary people's agency in times of violent conflict. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and a Critical Discourse Analysis, the author draws out the motivations, drivers and strategies at individual and community levels. With a focus on peoples own voices, this research highlights rich findings showing a wide range of experiences and actions that people engaged in during the violent conflict, and dimensions that are often missed in dominant explanations of violent conflict. Therefore, while looking at peace and conflict from an everyday perspective, the question of power and the meaning of peace knowledge become central. This monograph addresses the power of peoples agency not only in shaping the politics and dynamics of violence, but also in redefining what peace and change ought to look like. Essential reading for researchers and students of Peace and Conflict Studies, and also International Relations, Security Studies, Resistance Studies, Anthropology, Politics, International Development. Monica Carrer, co-founder of the Everyday Peace Initiative and the creator of the Everyday Peace Community, a digital platform and app dedicated to peace and social change that crowdsources knowledge for peace and social change action, connecting researchers with activists, practitioners and communities. She is co-author of the Everyday Peace Toolkit and recipient of the Sonja Davies Peace Award Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations and Key Terms List of Figures 1 A Puzzle from the Field People’s Agency and Violent Conflict Research The Lalgarh Movement in Junglemahal Theoretical and Methodological Approach An Everyday Approach to Violent Conflict and Peace Methods of Data Collection and Analysis Key Insights and Contributions Content of the Book 2 Local People in the Civil Wars Literature Introduction Poverty and Violent Conflict Revolutions New Wars The Problem of Measuring Greed and Grievance The Security-Development Nexus Violent Conflict and the Everyday Violent Conflict, Meaning, and Social Context Micro-Level Conflict The Everyday Everyday Peace and Everyday Resistance Conclusion 3 Maoism in India The Myth of Naxalbari Naxalism in Bihar Maoism Today: The ‘Biggest Threat to India’s Internal Security’ The Construction of Marginalised Groups in the Literature Conclusion 4 An Everyday Approach to Conflict and Peace Conflict, Peace, and the Everyday A Cup of Tea The Everyday Discourse, Narratives, and the Everyday An Ontology of Violent Conflict Structures and Agency Discourse, Power, and Conflict Power, Violence, and Resistance Subalternity and Representation Poverty Seen from the West Experiencing the Field Fieldwork Encounters Relationships and Veracity Fieldwork as a Gendered Experience Conducting Fieldwork in a Post-Conflict Environment: Risks, Challenges, and Ethics Conclusions 5 The Lalgarh Movement in Junglemahal: Comparing the Narratives The Origins of the Lalgarh Movement Constructing the ‘Tribal’ Uprising Land, Forests, Minerals and Violence Politics, State Violence, and the Maoists From the Movement to Violent Conflict The Formation of the PCPA: Whose Movement? Narratives of Peaceful Resistance and Narratives of Violence Peak and Decline of Violence Conclusion 6 Experiencing Conflict Introduction Injured Bodies and Discourse Local people’s Understanding of Violence Everyday Embodied Experiences Emotions Fear Grievance Emotions and Social Relationships Anger The Impact of Conflict on Local people’s Socio-Economic Conditions Gendered Experiences Conclusion 7 Responding to Conflict Introduction Exit Participation Fighting for the Maoists Ordinary people’s Participation ‘Making’ the Movement Coercion and Participation Shifting Perceptions Everyday Peace and Community Solidarity Voice Forms of Voice and Resistance Engagement Refusal to Participate Individual Protest Collective Protest Political Activism Forcing the Armed Forces Out Cooperating with the Other Side Local people’s Explanations of Resistance Conclusion 8 Perspectives on Peace, Change, and Development Introduction Peace and Development in the Discourse of the State Paternalism and Development Grievance in Local People’s Discourses The Narrative of Extreme Poverty and Starvation The Narrative of Corruption Power Relationships and Everyday Violence Peace in Local people’s Discourses Peace as Culture Peace as Experience Peace as Change Conclusion 9 Conclusion: The Extraordinary of the Ordinary in Times of Violence Introduction Integrating Everyday Conflict, Everyday Peace, and Everyday Resistance: Emerging Areas in Peace and Conflict Studies The Social Construction of Grievance The Role of Local People’s Action in Conflict, Peace, and Resistance The Social Capital for Everyday Peace The Role of the Family and Inter-Generation Relationships Discursive Resistance to Violent Structures of Power Limits of the Research and Future Research Agendas Making an Impact with Peace Research Concluding Remarks: The Everyday and Social Capital for Peace Bibliography Index