Citation

Schuld M. J. Peacebuild. Dev. 2013; 8(1): 60-73.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, University of San Diego, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15423166.2013.791521

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

After war -- so the common definition suggests -- comes peace. Recent research, however, shows that post-conflict societies sometimes experience levels of violence comparable to those in times of civil war. What changes are the labels under which violence is recorded and discussed. Political, conflict-related violence between armed groups, the government and civilians becomes 'ordinary crime' after conflict is officially resolved. This article argues that the divide between 'violence' and 'crime' is of conceptual rather than empirical nature. It employs a strictly empirical analysis of forms of violence in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) to show how certain manifestations of violence persist long after armed conflict is over. The study concludes that, instead of being treated as an inevitable consequence of apartheid history and enduring socioeconomic ills, violence needs to be an immediate focus of post-conflict development agendas.