On February 14, 2025, another TraCe research colloquium took place at Goethe University Frankfurt. The event series is organized in rotation by the five partner institutions and offers a framework for interdisciplinary exchange about transformations of political violence. Four researchers presented their current projects at Goethe University and discussed their findings with the participants.
The event started with Rirhandu Mageza-Barthel (TraCe Visiting Fellow at Philipps University Marburg) and her presentation about peace movements and their transnational networks. She shed light on the close links between other social movements as well as the often overlooked role of actors in the global south. In her talk, Núrel Bahí Reitz (TraCe Researcher, PRIF) analyzed the different cultures of remembrance of the genocide in Namibia (1904-1908) and the Majimaji War in Tansania (1905-1907). While Namibia follows an active commemoration policy, the Majimaji War stays broadly marginalized – a difference Reitz traces back to historical and political factors.
After lunch break, Jonas Wolff (TraCe PI, PRIF) and Frederik Schissler (TraCe Research Assistant, Goethe University/PRIF) presented their research (in cooperation with Hanna Pfeifer, Constantin Ruhe and Regine Schwab) about the Internationalization of intra-state conflicts. Their research showed that external interventions in civil wars had strongly increased since the 2000s and focused on the role of transnational networks and geopolitical rivalries. The event concluded with Raphaël Cahen (TraCe Researcher, JLU Gießen) presentation about the role of legal advisors in foreign policy. He outlined their historical importance and used the example of Japan to demonstrate how legal expertise can be used for the legitimation of political violence.
The colloquium provided fascinating insights in the current work of the research center “Transformations of Political Violence” and stimulated intense discussions. The diversity of perspectives emphasized the relevance of interdisciplinary approaches for the understanding of new developments in the area of political violence.