Peace-building in Afghanistan: academic inspired by Swisspeace

Dr Zulfia Abawe, lecturer in Global Business at USW, recently visited Swisspeace, a research-led organisation at the University of Basel, Switzerland, as part of her research into peace-building in Afghanistan.

Her trip was made possible by Taith, a Welsh Government funded international exchange programme enabling people in Wales to learn, study and volunteer all over the world.

Zulfia, who is originally from Afghanistan, is working on a research paper entitled Decolonising International Relations – A case study of foreign interventions in reconstructing Afghanistan’s legal system, which attempts to foreground the role and significance of local and indigenous knowledge and practices in day-to-day local governance.

While visiting Swisspeace, Zulfia met Dr Maria Birnbaum, a Senior Researcher at Swisspeace, who works in the fields of global politics, religious studies and colonial history. Her research examines the relationship between diversity and order; particularly focusing on the history and politics of concepts and various regimes of knowledge and ignorance.

Zulfia said: “I had a productive meeting with Dr Birnbaum, where she steered me towards additional research avenues and we discussed our respective research interests. That meeting helped me to identify potential areas where I could apply my research across diverse disciplines.

“I was also fortunate to be on the discussion panel at a book launch by Dr Florian Wiegand, Co-Director of the Centre for Armed Groups, an independent organisation in Switzerland. His latest book, Waiting for Dignity: Legitimacy and Authority in Afghanistan, closely aligns with the topic of my current draft paper, and so being able to discuss it provided valuable insights and connections for my own research.

“While in Switzerland I had the opportunity to meet other scholars and practitioners in the field, thanks to Dr Metka Herzog, Research Co-ordinator for Swisspeace, who put me in touch with them. I wouldn’t have been able to connect with these brilliant minds, and talk about our research areas and other topics without her help.”

Zulfia’s trip to Switzerland then led to her presenting her research titled Decolonial Reflections on Peacebuilding in Afghanistan with a focus on the construction of the legal system of Afghanistan at the International Studies Association (ISA) 2024 conference in San Francisco, where she took part in a panel discussion titled Relational and Decolonial Approaches to Pacifism and Non-Violence.

“I’ve had two fantastic experiences in Switzerland and the US, which I’m hoping will lead to future collaborations with the academics I’ve met,” said Zulfia. “I’m very grateful to the Taith funding which allowed my trip to Swisspeace to happen.”