Abstract

This article explores ‘health as a bridge to peace’ in Myanmar’s Kayin State. It focuses on an Auxiliary Midwife training programme, which has created partnerships between actors historically divided by decades-long conflict. Drawing on ethnographic research, the article highlights the agency of community-level service providers, who are often overlooked in conventional approaches to peacebuilding. It demonstrates that community health workers are challenging top-down liberal approaches to peacebuilding and advancing an alternative approach to development and peace in their areas – one that emphasises systemic change and recognition of non-state governance systems. The shared lexicon and standardised practices of healthcare create ‘working encounters’ – encounters that ‘work’, because they enable actors historically divided by conflict to carve out an ‘apolitical’ space in an otherwise highly politicised context, while still allowing for different perspectives and agendas. These ‘working encounters’ in turn facilitate the development of understanding, trust and collaboration across conflict divides. Yet community-level actors face structural limitations, which are often underestimated by proponents of ‘health as a bridge to peace’. Nevertheless, this case study highlights significant contributions that community-level ‘working encounters’ can make to wider peace processes, as well as the need for hybrid and emancipatory practices of peace formation.

摘要

本文探讨了缅甸卡音州的“健康是通往和平的桥梁”。它着重于辅助助产士培训计划，该计划在历史上因数十年冲突而分裂的演员之间建立了伙伴关系。本文利用人种学研究方法，重点介绍了社区级服务提供商的代理机构，这些机构通常在传统的建设和平方法中被忽视。它表明，社区卫生工作者正在挑战自上而下的建立和平的自由方法，并在其地区推进发展与和平的替代方法，这种方法强调系统变革和对非国家治理体系的认可。卫生保健共享的词典和标准化做法创造了“工作中的相遇” –即“工作中的相遇”，因为它们使在历史上因冲突而分裂的参与者能够在原本高度政治化的环境中开拓“非政治”空间，同时仍然允许不同的观点和议程。这些“工作上的相遇”反过来促进了跨越各种分歧的理解，信任和合作的发展。然而，社区层面的参与者面临结构性限制，而“健康是通往和平的桥梁”的拥护者常常低估了这些限制。然而，本案例研究强调了社区一级的“工作遭遇”可以为更广泛的和平进程做出重大贡献，以及对混合和解放性和平实践的需求。这些“工作上的相遇”反过来促进了跨越各种分歧的理解，信任和协作的发展。然而，社区层面的参与者面临结构性限制，而“健康是通往和平的桥梁”的拥护者常常低估了这些限制。然而，本案例研究强调了社区一级的“工作遭遇”可以为更广泛的和平进程做出重大贡献，以及对混合和解放性和平实践的需求。这些“工作上的相遇”反过来促进了跨越各种分歧的理解，信任和合作的发展。然而，社区层面的参与者面临结构性限制，而“健康是通往和平的桥梁”的拥护者常常低估了这些限制。然而，本案例研究强调了社区一级的“工作遭遇”可以为更广泛的和平进程做出重大贡献，以及对混合和解放性和平实践的需求。