Book Reviews: The Palgrave Handbook of Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies in Africa, Edited by Elias Opongo
At Hekima University College’s 4th Annual Research Week, Professor Elias Opongo, SJ unveiled The Palgrave Handbook of Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies in Africa, a groundbreaking scholarly volume that redefines the study of peace and security from an African perspective. Published by Palgrave Macmillan, a Springer imprint, one of the world’s leading academic publishers, the handbook features contributions from 25 scholars across Africa and the diaspora, including early-career researchers and practitioners trained at Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations (HIPSIR).
Professor Opongo explained that the book was born out of a concern that Peace Studies remains dominated by Western theories. The handbook, therefore, seeks to “decolonize peace and security scholarship” by grounding it in Africa’s historical, political, and cultural realities. It examines the continent’s evolving peace and conflict landscape through the lenses of justice, reconciliation, governance, and human security, offering a holistic and context-sensitive framework for scholars and policymakers alike.
The 800-page reference work is organized into three major sections:
- Peace Studies: This section blends conceptual analysis with community-level practices. It explores indigenous reconciliation traditions, psychosocial healing, youth activism, and the role of technology in peacebuilding. Key chapters discuss education for peace, transitional justice, digital peacebuilding, and indigenous mediation, featuring contributions by Dr. Tekla Wanjala, Dr. Jackie Anundo, and others.
- Conflict Studies: Focusing on the drivers and manifestations of conflict, this section examines ethnic violence, small arms proliferation, religious extremism, and migration. It critically analyzes external interventions by the UN, AU, and regional bodies, while emphasizing the role of local communities. The chapters highlight the lingering effects of colonial legacies, militia dynamics, and the politicization of identity across the continent.
- Security Studies: Expanding beyond traditional military paradigms, this section reframes security around human, environmental, and cyber dimensions. Topics include climate-induced displacement, gendered security, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), and digital governance. The section calls for inclusive, community-centered security frameworks rooted in local realities rather than militarization.
Throughout the handbook, contributors emphasize the need to reimagine peace and security through African epistemologies. The text critiques neocolonial systems, extractive economies, and foreign interventions that perpetuate instability. Instead, it promotes models that prioritize transformative justice, community resilience, and participatory governance over punitive or state-centric approaches.
Scholarly Review by Mr. Bernardo Okok
In his detailed review, Mr. Bernardo Okok praised the volume as a pioneering intellectual shift that bridges academic theory and grassroots practice. He highlighted three key contributions:
- A Bottom-Up Approach to Peacebuilding: The book’s advocacy for community-driven, participatory peace processes represents a major departure from state-led, top-down interventions. Okok noted that this approach aligns with constructivist theory, emphasizing that conflicts are socially constructed and best addressed through local narratives and relationships.
- Re-engagement with Identity and Historical Legacies: By tackling intergenerational trauma, ethnic divisions, and religious extremism, the book situates African conflicts within their socio-historical contexts, moving beyond narrow realist or liberal frameworks.
- Integration of Gender, Climate, and Technology: Okok commended the handbook for recognizing emerging peace and security challenges such as gender-based violence, digital surveillance, and climate change as essential to any future peace architecture.
Okok concluded that the handbook offers both a theoretical reorientation and a practical toolkit for rethinking peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and security governance in Africa. It signals a “fundamental shift from dependence to self-definition” in African peace scholarship.
With its official launch slated for November 2025, the Palgrave Handbook of Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies in Africa is already available for pre-order on Amazon. Though priced as a hardcover academic edition, a paperback version will follow, aiming to make this landmark contribution to African peace research more accessible to scholars, students, and practitioners worldwide.
By Pamela Adinda, HUC International and Communications Coordinator
