Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts

Beschreibung

This open access book represents a multiyear exploration into identity-based mass violence (IBMV) within urban contexts. It explores the complexities of structural and acute violence in cities, drawing on local solutions rooted in the fields of urban violence prevention, atrocity prevention, and peacebuilding. The authors present a multidimensional approach that addresses sexual and gender-based violence, racial and ethnic violence, gang or group-based violence, state-perpetrated violence, political violence, violence against migrants, and others. The volume investigates the outsized influence of power in shaping how violence is understood and how prevention outcomes are evaluated. The chapters span scholarship, practical guidance, and lived experience of enduring and bearing witness to IBMV. This volume speaks directly to reform-minded partners and allies in policy and practice, as well as to funders and supporters. It provides a practical foundation for collaborative, prevention-focused action and policy opportunities.

Rachel Locke is Director of the Violence, Inequality and Power Lab at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, University of San Diego, USA. Locke co-founded Peace in Our Cities, a diverse global network driven by a shared vision of healthy, peaceful, and prosperous cities where serious violence is prevented through rights-based, evidence-informed policy and practice.

Kelsey Paul Shantz is Program Officer for mass violence and atrocities at the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, USA. Her prior research has spanned topics of global macro and microeconomics, peacebuilding, and defense and security.

Andrei Serbin Pont is President of CRIES (Coordinadora Regional de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales), and Regional Coordinator for Social and Economic Research. He is also CEO of InnovAcción Hub, Regional Representative for the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), and Adjunct Director of Pensamiento Propio.

Jai-Ayla Sutherland is Program Officer for mass violence and atrocities at the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, USA. In addition to her work focused on the prevention of mass violence across the globe, she has served as city councilor in Casper, Wyoming, USA.

This open access book represents a multiyear exploration into identity-based mass violence (IBMV) within urban contexts. It explores the complexities of structural and acute violence in cities, drawing on local solutions rooted in the fields of urban violence prevention, atrocity prevention, and peacebuilding. The authors present a multidimensional approach that addresses sexual and gender-based violence, racial and ethnic violence, gang or group-based violence, state-perpetrated violence, political violence, violence against migrants, and others. The volume investigates the outsized influence of power in shaping how violence is understood and how prevention outcomes are evaluated. The chapters span scholarship, practical guidance, and lived experience of enduring and bearing witness to IBMV. This volume speaks directly to reform-minded partners and allies in policy and practice, as well as to funders and supporters. It provides a practical foundation for collaborative, prevention-focused action and policy opportunities.

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Rachel Locke

Themen in »Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts«

Open Access Peacebuilding Urban studies Inequality Crime prevention Atrocity prevention SDG 16 Urban violence

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“In a troubled world, Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts offers a compelling analysis of violence along identity lines in cities and provides a critical understanding of where these come together with power and place to sustain violence. As I grapple with identity and leadership questions by studying Professor Heifetz's work at Harvard and reflect on my experience with the PAZOS strategy in Palmira, Colombia, to address the social roots of violence, I have found this book's multifaceted approach and focus on bridging across different disciplines and linking insights for practitioners and city leaders to be immensely valuable. This book is an essential resource for anyone who is committed to seeing past stereotypes and understanding that efforts beyond black and white are urgently needed for building safety, belonging, and resilience in cities worldwide.” (Oscar Escobar, Former Mayor, Palmira, Colombia)

“A curious divide exists in the Peacebuilding field between how we consider violence that occurs within cities (often written off simplistically as “gun violence” or “gang violence,”), and how we think about mass atrocities and violence in civil war or cross-border contexts. Of course, this is a false divide, as this vibrant and compelling volume makes clear. The authors of this book highlight the links between structural, acute and mass violence in clear and elegant terms, describing how cities hold the potential for violence in both particular and also universal forms. Even more important, the volume makes a strong case for how to center the work of community led peacebuilders, and how to build urban-based structures for peace, healing, and restoration. This is a deeply important contribution to the peacebuilding literature, during a turbulent time for cities — and the world.” (Melanie Greenberg, Managing Director, Programs, Humanity United)

“Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts delivers a powerful wake-up call for everyone committed to violence reduction. The epicenter of today’s most devastating violence is not the battlefield, but the city block. Drawing from a rare combination of empirical research, frontline testimony, and policy experience, Rachel Locke, Kelsey Paul Shantz, Andrei Serbin Pont, and Jai-Ayla Sutherland reframe identity-based mass violence as a global urban crisis hiding in plain sight. Its contributors don't just diagnose the problem—they offer blueprints for urban resilience and violence prevention rooted in inclusion and equity. If we're serious about building peace in the 21st century, decision-makers, practitioners, and citizens must start by confronting the quiet brutality embedded in our cities. For anyone working at the intersection of urban safety, human rights, and development, this volume is not just relevant—it’s indispensable.” (Dr. Robert Muggah, Co-Founder, Igarape Institute; Commissioner, Lancet Commission on Global Gun Violence and Health)

“Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts: Uncovered is a timely and essential contribution to the fields of violence prevention and peacebuilding. By centering the voices of both scholars and those directly impacted by identity-based violence, this volume offers a rare and powerful lens on how urban environments become flashpoints—and sites of potential healing. Its focus on the intersections of identity, power, and place challenges conventional frameworks and points toward deeply contextual, community-driven strategies for prevention. In a world where most violence unfolds outside formal war zones, this book is an urgent call to reimagine peacebuilding where it is needed most: in our cities.” (Vasu Gounden, Founder and Executive Director, ACCORD)

“This important volume comes at exactly the right time; practitioners, policymakers, and the general public are all looking for hope, answers, and a semblance of sense in an increasingly chaotic world. Marrying theory with practice, personal with policy, domestic with global, Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts offers innovative ideas and solutions through the lenses of identity, cities, and mass violence. Centering identity and lived experience makes this work relatable to all of us, as does the weaving in of art and storytelling. What a breath of fresh air!” (Alexandra Toma, Executive Director, Peace and Security Funders Group)

“Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts is a powerful and timely contribution that challenges the boundaries between fields too often siloed—urban violence prevention, atrocity prevention, and peacebuilding. Drawing from rich analysis and grounded in the lived experiences of people most affected by violence, the authors shine a light on how identity, marginalization, and exclusion fuel conflict in cities worldwide. It offers an important call to action for practitioners, policymakers, and funders to rethink how we engage at the local level, where meaningful violence prevention must begin. As someone who has spent decades working on violence reduction and community-led development, I find Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts to be a vital guide for those seeking to address violence not just as isolated incidents, but as symptoms of deeper structural issues. The volume’s emphasis on inclusive, grassroots solutions and city-based leadership makes it both practical and visionary. It’s an essential resource for anyone committed to building just and peaceful societies.” (Enrique Roig, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the US State Department)

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