Local Meanings of Peace: The Politics of Words and Emotional Labor among Civil Society Practitioners in Armenia and Turkey

What is it about?

This research explores how civil society practitioners working for better relations between Armenia and Turkey view the idea of "peace." Even though they work to improve the situation, they don't necessarily call themselves peacebuilders and prefer the term "normalization." The study interviewed people in both countries after the 2020 war. They found that political situations affect how people understand "peace." In Turkey, the government makes it hard to talk about peace with Armenia. In Armenia, the war changed what "peace" means for people. An interesting finding is that these practitioners sometimes have to hide their hope for peace to be professional. The research suggests that future studies should involve young people and explore new ways to talk about peace that don't cause arguments but encourage understanding.

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