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A Decolonial Perspective on Environmental Peacebuilding: a systematic literature review

Bergman Blix, Astrid LU and Alfredsson, Hjalmar LU (2026) STVA23 20252
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Environmental peacebuilding [EPB] is an emerging research stream within environmental peace and conflict studies. EPB sees the environment as an opportunity for peacebuilding, constituting a neutral area for building trust and cooperation (Ide et al. 2021, p.1-2), however, it has been criticised by decolonial scholars for failing to address underlying power relations in environmental issues (Rodìguez & Liz Inturias 2018, p.92). In this systematic literature review, we analysed eleven peer-reviewed studies on environmental peacebuilding in relation to indigenous peoples, with a decolonial perspective. The aim of this study was to identify major themes, as well as tensions and unexplored issues, in the existing literature. A central finding... (More)
Environmental peacebuilding [EPB] is an emerging research stream within environmental peace and conflict studies. EPB sees the environment as an opportunity for peacebuilding, constituting a neutral area for building trust and cooperation (Ide et al. 2021, p.1-2), however, it has been criticised by decolonial scholars for failing to address underlying power relations in environmental issues (Rodìguez & Liz Inturias 2018, p.92). In this systematic literature review, we analysed eleven peer-reviewed studies on environmental peacebuilding in relation to indigenous peoples, with a decolonial perspective. The aim of this study was to identify major themes, as well as tensions and unexplored issues, in the existing literature. A central finding in this study is that all analysed articles problematised underlying power relations in environmental peacebuilding, concurring with decolonial theory. When EPB initiatives fail to take these power relations into consideration, the initiatives risk reproducing the same unequal power relations. The consistency of this critique across the literature, suggests that when EPB is studied in relation to marginalised groups, such as indigenous peoples, unequal power relations become difficult to ignore. Furthermore, community-based EPB initiatives showed potential to empower indigenous communities and strengthen collective identity, however, they often lack recognition and engagement from the state, which limits the initiatives' potential. We identified this as an unexplored tension in the literature and encourage further empirical investigation into whether more state interaction with community-based EPB initiatives can produce effective and just outcomes. (Less)
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author
Bergman Blix, Astrid LU and Alfredsson, Hjalmar LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVA23 20252
year
type
L2 - 2nd term paper (old degree order)
subject
keywords
Environmental peacebuilding, Decolonialism, Indigenous, Bottom-up, Systematic literature review
language
English
id
9217905
date added to LUP
2026-01-26 16:48:22
date last changed
2026-01-26 16:48:22
@misc{9217905,
  abstract     = {{Environmental peacebuilding [EPB] is an emerging research stream within environmental peace and conflict studies. EPB sees the environment as an opportunity for peacebuilding, constituting a neutral area for building trust and cooperation (Ide et al. 2021, p.1-2), however, it has been criticised by decolonial scholars for failing to address underlying power relations in environmental issues (Rodìguez & Liz Inturias 2018, p.92). In this systematic literature review, we analysed eleven peer-reviewed studies on environmental peacebuilding in relation to indigenous peoples, with a decolonial perspective. The aim of this study was to identify major themes, as well as tensions and unexplored issues, in the existing literature. A central finding in this study is that all analysed articles problematised underlying power relations in environmental peacebuilding, concurring with decolonial theory. When EPB initiatives fail to take these power relations into consideration, the initiatives risk reproducing the same unequal power relations. The consistency of this critique across the literature, suggests that when EPB is studied in relation to marginalised groups, such as indigenous peoples, unequal power relations become difficult to ignore. Furthermore, community-based EPB initiatives showed potential to empower indigenous communities and strengthen collective identity, however, they often lack recognition and engagement from the state, which limits the initiatives' potential. We identified this as an unexplored tension in the literature and encourage further empirical investigation into whether more state interaction with community-based EPB initiatives can produce effective and just outcomes.}},
  author       = {{Bergman Blix, Astrid and Alfredsson, Hjalmar}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{A Decolonial Perspective on Environmental Peacebuilding: a systematic literature review}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}