ABSTRACT

This article adds to the emerging ‘temporal turn’ in peace studies by addressing methodological questions about how temporality can be captured and explored in empirical studies. Developing our methodological tools for exploring time and temporality, we argue, is critical to move beyond the supposed linear temporality of peace processes, and make visible alternative temporal frameworks that shape everyday experiences and contestations around peace in conflict-affected contexts. Drawing on a study of two conflict-affected areas in Myanmar, we contribute towards this aim through a discussion of how life history diagrams helped us trace temporal conflicts between overarching narratives of political transition and everyday experiences of insecurity. This facilitated a deeper understanding of how relationships between war and peace, and between past, present and future, were manifested and made sense of in people’s everyday lives. Our use of life history diagrams revealed temporal conflicts between the dominant, linear temporality of the Myanmar transition, and more complex and cyclical temporal frameworks people used to describe their realities. Life history diagrams also facilitated narratives that troubled an events-based temporality focused on macro-political shifts such as ceasefire agreements and elections, and instead foregrounded everyday experiences of continuous insecurity and struggle.

摘要

本文通过解决关于如何在实证研究中捕捉和探索时间性的方法论问题，增加了和平研究中正在出现的“时间转向”。我们认为，开发我们用于探索时间和时间性的方法论工具对于超越和平进程假定的线性时间性，并在受冲突影响的背景下塑造围绕和平的日常经验和争论的可见替代时间框架至关重要。基于对缅甸两个受冲突影响地区的研究，我们通过讨论生活史图表如何帮助我们追踪政治过渡的总体叙事与不安全的日常经历之间的时间冲突，为实现这一目标做出了贡献。这有助于更深入地了解战争与和平之间以及过去、现在和未来，在人们的日常生活中得到体现和理解。我们对生活史图表的使用揭示了缅甸过渡时期占主导地位的线性时间性与人们用来描述其现实的更复杂和周期性的时间框架之间的时间冲突。生活史图表还促进了叙述，这些叙述困扰着基于事件的时间性，重点关注停火协议和选举等宏观政治转变，而是突出了持续不安全和斗争的日常经历。