Konfliktlösning i delade städer. En jämförande fallstudie

Abstract

This article focuses on conflicts and contested issues in urban settings and how actors in the urban milieu can contribute to the transformation or escalation of these conflicts. The aim has been to highlight processes of peace and conflict formation and the extent to which diferent actors in the city have contributed to these processes. Through empirical analyses based on fieldwork in nine cities we address questions regarding which issues regarding division, segregation and minority/majority relations have been most pertinent in the cities. Furthermore, we investigate which actors have addressed the contested issues and the strategies through which they have attempted to handle them. The urban level functions as a lens through which contestation between parties can be understood, handled and governed. The study’s focus on the urban level also underlines the importance of the micro level in peace and conflict research through its highlighting of how street level bureaucrats might work as everyday peace- or conflict makers.