"Home" in peace and conflict studies : a site of resistance and of reform

Abstract

This article aims to examine one aspect of the "local" that has been little considered in IR: the concept of home and its significance as a place of meaning and as a site of resistance. Existing studies of the concept of home in other disciplines include their study as "profound centers of human existence" in human geography and as the place of "many cultural practices that forge social memory." More recently, the plight of refugees has thrown into sharp relief both the need for an examination of home and its current under-theorization. After a wider examination of the meaning of home and in particular the significance of home in an IR context, this article will examine the construction of home in everyday life and its potential use as a site of resistance before analyzing the significance of this analysis to the wider field of IR.