Peace as Liberation

​This edited volume highlights a type of violence largely overlooked by peace psychologists; it explores ‘epistemic violence’ which refers to the silencing of the marginalized, racialized and colonized people in the process of knowledge production. This book celebrates the voices and the agency of the subalterns, honoring their visions, testimonies and struggles to push boundaries and create spaces for peace within oppressive environments. “Visions and Praxis from below” refers to peace visions and struggles of the people who live “below the vital ability of shaping the world according to their own vision”. It is a challenge to the hegemonic perspective that ‘credible’ thinking on peace can only be done by the people ‘from above’.  This perspective will add to the understanding of not only peace psychologists, but all those who work toward social justice.

Peace as Liberation: Visions and Praxis from Below is a welcome intervention in the field of peace psychology, and just what is needed to redress the entrenched Eurocentricity of peace studies. Incisive, confronting and genuine, it is a wonderful collection of essays that centres the voices and agency of subaltern scholars. Highly recommended.

--Richard Jackson, University of Otago, New Zealand

After fighting the 20 Years War by demonizing Islam and being defeated, US NATO started a new proxy war by demonizing the former Cold War enemy.  Global South is no longer as docile as before. No, its very wisdom sheds light on the path to save innocent people who sacrifice blood in the proxy war.

-- Isezaki Kenji, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan

 We are living through a profoundly significant moment in the history of Decolonisation, even as old Balances are splintering , and old Hegemons are tottering. It is timely, it is relevant, and it adds depth to the burgeoning clamor of critiques, as the 'subalterns' are finding their Voice. freed from the muzzles of their erstwhile masters.

-- Rajani Kanth , ex-Harvard University, United States

This groundbreaking book breaks barriers in peace studies, giving voice to marginalized perspectives and challenging epistemic violence. A transformative must-read.

-- Zahid Shahab Ahmed, Deakin University, Australia

Fatima Waqi Sajjad is the founding Director of the Centre for Critical Peace Studies and Associate Professor at the University of Management and Technology Lahore. Her work questions epistemic violence and injustice in Peace Studies and beyond. She is the author of ‘A subaltern gaze on White ignorance, (in) security and the possibility of educating the White rescue plans’ (2023). Security Dialogue; ‘On the delusion of disobedience amid coloniality: location Pakistan’ (2023). Third World Quarterly; ‘Rethinking education to counter violent extremism: a critical review of policy and practice’ (2022). Ethics and Education, 17(1).