Toward a Third Local Turn: Identifying and Addressing Obstacles to Localization in Peacebuilding

Abstract

Localization in peacebuilding, development, and humanitarian work is grounded on the claim that principles of both justice and effectiveness demand a transfer of power from international to local actors, and thus a change in the current donor–recipient relationship and the way international cooperation works and is structured. Like any transfer of power, this creates opportunities and provokes resistance. This article conducts a structured analysis of secondary literature and publicly available contributions from Southern practitioners to identify obstacles to localization in peacebuilding and explore concrete entry points for mitigating them. The mitigation strategies seek to rectify persistent power imbalances between international and local actors in the peacebuilding field. The article's focus on practical steps toward localization helps to overcome the stuckness of the debate in the peacebuilding literature and move beyond the mere criticism of neoliberal peacebuilding. The article paves the way toward a third local turn in peacebuilding, which concentrates on how to achieve localization in everyday peacebuilding, focusing on its more radical, decolonial implications and avoiding the neutralizing effects of the incumbent, technocratic approach to peacebuilding.