This book offers a grounded framework for Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) that not only analyses conflict but actively contributes to the wellbeing of marginalized communities.

In response to rising authoritarianism and shrinking democratic spaces, the volume calls for inclusive peacebuilding processes that center the voices, experiences, and agency of those historically excluded—particularly those on the periphery of the global system. The book critically engages with the limitations of traditional, Western-centric PACS frameworks and proposes a decolonial restructuring of the field. It foregrounds the lived experiences, knowledge systems, and aspirations of marginalized communities such as artists, members of the diaspora, and LGBTQIA+, thereby challenging dominant paradigms and positioning the periphery as a vital site of transformative action and knowledge production. Through practical, context-sensitive solutions, the volume seeks to make PACS more responsive, equitable, and capable of fostering sustainable peace in an increasingly complex world.

This book will be of much interest to students and practitioners of peace and conflict studies, social justice, development studies and International Relations.