Counteracting Everyday Violence at the Border: A View from Peacebuilding and Border Art

Abstract

This article presents an overview of the potential for integrating specific peacebuilding strategies with the practice of border art as a tool for addressing various forms of violence in border regions. The specific peacebuilding strategies considered are nonviolent intervention, reduction of direct violence, transformation of relationships, and building capacity. It is proposed that the combination of these strategies with border art provides avenues for counteracting specific forms of violence. Artistic expressions denounce negative social conditions and convey a sense of peace, portraying questions of social justice. Border art can re-politicize border spaces by strategically positioning shared values such as peaceful coexistence and hope. The proposed combination of peacebuilding strategies and border art can be a means of counteracting the normalization of violence and social exclusion in social contexts that are not associated with armed conflict but are permanently affected by everyday violence. This work also aims to facilitate a constructive dialogue between the disciplines of peace studies, critical border studies, and border art.