Discussion paper: "New Trajectories for Peace in Northern Ireland".

I have produced a new discussion paper entitled "New Trajectories for Peace in Northern Ireland". 

This discussion paper outlines new trajectories for peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, assessing the current context and its key challenges. It argues that the government-level model is ill-conceived, fragmented and conceptually deficient: a thin model of peace that favours coexistence and negative peace, largely accepts division and fosters only small pockets of integration. It rests on an insufficiently understood focus on economic development—“peace by prosperity”—and an uncritical faith in growth that normalises division and inequality. The paper calls for a transformative approach to sustainable peace, grounded in inclusion, renewed civic energy and political leadership no longer rewarded for maintaining social division or presenting one-dimensional economic development as a panacea. This requires new thinking about peace, led by younger voices, to address the past and respond to challenges including ongoing division and sectarianism, climate change, mental health, education, human rights, gender and LGBTQI+ rights, and racism. The focus should be on developing transferable, politically informed capacities for social transformation rather than relying on narrow conceptions of peace and a limited repertoire of methods.

Comments and thoughts are welcome.

Direct, Structural and Cultural Violence in a ‘Post-conflict’ Society

We have recently published a new article in the  journal Victims & Offenders:

Murray, C., Hamber, B., McGill, D., & Gallagher, E. (2026). Direct, Structural and Cultural Violence in a ‘Post-conflict’ Society: Lived Experiences of ‘At Risk’ and Incarcerated Young Men. Victims & Offenders, 21(7), 1489–1523. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2026.2711645

Download the Open Access PDF here.

Abstract

Studies of violence among young men often focus on individual acts of direct violence, without reference to structural and cultural dimensions. To address these omissions, interviews with 46 ‘at risk’ or incarcerated young men (aged 18–24) and 25 professional support or prison staff in ‘post-conflict’ Northern Ireland, all recruited through purposive sampling, were analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Galtung’s violence triangle was applied during the interpretive stage of analysis to contextualize and theorize emergent themes, demonstrating how direct, structural, and cultural forms of violence intersect and mutually reinforce one another across four interrelated domains that shape marginalized young men’s identities and lived experiences. Structural exclusion creates systemic barriers that prevent young men from fully engaging in social, economic, and political spheres, perpetuating cycles of marginalization and alienation. Legacies of violent conflict transmit psychological and social trauma across generations, normalizing violence and fostering pervasive mistrust in communities. Through paramilitary recruitment, non-state armed groups make use of deprivation, territorial control, and perceived cultural legitimacy to sustain their allure and ongoing presence. Paramilitary-style attacks employ overt and direct violence, using ‘community punishment’ and vigilantism to maintain social regulation, dominance and fear.

Pathways to youth critical action for sustainable peace

We have recently published a new article in the Journal of Social Issues: 

Hamber, B., & McArdle, E. (2026). Peacebuilding, politicization, and youth work: Pathways to youth critical action for sustainable peace in Northern Ireland. Journal of Social Issues, 82, e70073. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.70073. 

The article is open access and can be downloaded here.

Abstract

While Northern Ireland is praised as a successful peace process with valuable lessons, peacebuilding is incomplete. The responsibility increasingly falls on young people to address the unfinished business of the past, despite questions of capacity and the complex political and social dynamics of today. This article examines youth sector peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, highlighting shifts in youth policy and the emergence of a dominant contact hypothesis approach. It is argued that this approach is unsuitable for the current context, where new issues extend beyond the Catholic-Protestant divide, and structural problems such as inequality and social, cultural and political division persist. A critical action approach to peacebuilding is proposed, identifying methodologies to enhance this through consultations, workshops, and interviews with youth leaders and young people. Four pathways to engage young people's critical consciousness for action by youth workers (YWs) are outlined: the appreciation of and adaptation to contexts, instituting deliberative long-term processes, peer-to-peer learning between young people, and all driven by the self-reflexive, politicized and motivating YW.

New Book Series: Pioneering Peace

Liverpool University Press is delighted to announce a new series: Pioneering Peace: New Paradigms in Peace and Conflict Studies led by series editor Brandon Hamber, John Hume and Thomas P. O’Neill Chair in Peace at the International Conflict Research Unit (INCORE) at Ulster University.

Professor Hamber said: ‘Peace remains one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. Building on decades of work at INCORE, we are committed to transcending traditional narratives and embracing diverse perspectives on peace. This book series will critically examine the pathways to sustainable peace, drawing on the lived experiences of communities and addressing complex, intersecting factors that contribute to lasting peace from an interdisciplinary perspective.’

Commissioning editor Christabel Scaife said ‘We are thrilled to be working with INCORE on this exciting new book series. LUP has been publishing on issues of peace and conflict in Northern Ireland for many years; through collaboration with this leading research institute, we look forward to expanding our peace studies list beyond the Northern Irish context to focus on a global “sustainable peace”.’

Find out more about Pioneering Peace: New Paradigms in Peace and Conflict Studies on the LUP website.

To submit a book proposal, please contact Christabel Scaife at c.scaife@liverpool.ac.uk.

Masculinities in Conflict: My Publications

 

Last Updated 27 February 2026

I have numerous requests for my writing and publications on masculinities, conflict and transition. 

So below I have compiled a list of published work to date:  

• Hamber, B., Schulz, P., Touquet, H. & Messmer, G. (2024). Transitional Justice and Masculinities. In P. Schulz, B. Hamber & H. Touquet (Eds), Masculinities and Queer Perspectives in Transitional Justice. Routledge: Abingdon, Oxon and New York, p. 29-50 [Download]
• Philipp Schulz, Brandon Hamber & Heleen Touquet (Eds) (2024). Masculinities and Queer Perspectives in Transitional Justice. Oxon & New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group [More Information | Read Online | Download Open Access]
• Schulz, P., Hamber, B., Touquet, H. & Messmer, G. (2024). Introduction: Masculinities and Queer Perspectives in Transitional Justice. In P. Schulz, B. Hamber & H. Touquet (Eds), Masculinities and Queer Perspectives in Transitional Justice. Routledge: Abingdon, Oxon and New York, p. 3-28 [Download]
• Hamber, B. & Murray, C. (2022). Voices from the Margins: Young men and post-conflict masculinities in Northern Ireland. Interpeace: Geneva [Download]
• Gallagher, E. & Hamber, B. (2015). Addressing the psychosocial needs of young men: The case of Northern Ireland. In: Psychosocial Perspectives on Peacebuilding. Springer: New York, pp. 90-149 [Information | Request Publication]
• Hamber, Brandon (2015). There Is a Crack in Everything: Problematising Masculinities, Peacebuilding and Transitional Justice. Human Rights Review, 17(1), pp. 9-34 [Access in the Journal]
• Hamber, Brandon and Gallagher, Elizabeth (2014). Ships passing in the night: psychosocial programming and macro peacebuilding strategies with young men in Northern Ireland. Intervention: Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas, 12(1), 43-60 [Download]
• Hamber, B. (2010). Masculinity and Transitional Justice: An Exploratory Essay (Politorbis). Politorbis, 50(3): 143-154 [Download]
• Hamber, B. (2010). Masculinity and Transition: Crisis or Confusion in South Africa?. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, 5(3), 75-88 [Access in the Journal]
• Hamber, B. & Palmary, I. (2009). Gender, Memorialization, and Symbolic Reparations. In R. Rubio-Marin (Ed.), The Gender of Reparations: Unsettling Sexual Hierarchies While Redressing Human Rights Violations (pp. 324-381). New York: Cambridge University Press [Request Publication]
• Hamber, B. (2007). Masculinity and Transitional Justice: An Exploratory Essay (Peace Prints). Peace Prints: South Asian Journal of Transitional Justice, 3(1), Autumn [Download]
• Hamber, B. (2007). Masculinity and Transitional Justice: An Exploratory Essay (IJTJ). International Journal of Transitional Justice, 1(3), 375-390 [Access in the Journal]
• Hamber, B. (2006). Where are the men in the battle for equality?. Polity and Engineering News, 20 October 2006 [Substack | Medium | Blog]
• Hamber, B. (2006). "We must be very careful how we emancipate our women": shifting masculinities in post-apartheid South Africa. Paper presented at the Re-Imagining Women's Security: a Comparative Study of South Africa, Northern Ireland and Lebanon Round Table, New York, 12-13 October 2006 [Download]
• Hamber, B., Hillyard, P., Maguire, A., McWilliams, M., Robinson, G., Russell, D., et al. (2006). Discourses in Transition: Re-Imagining Women's Security. International Relations, 20(4), 487-502 [Access in the Journal]

If you cannot access any of the above publications, please send me a request and I will email it to you.

Young People and Peacebuilding Keynote

From DiverseYouthNI Instagram

It was fantastic to deliver the keynote address on "Young People and Peacebuilding" at the INSPIRE NOW! 2.0 Conference, a flagship, youth-led event that brought together young people from across these islands. 

My focus was on the positive contributions young people can make to peace, drawing on the insights from UN Resolution 2250. I emphasised the significance of inclusion and participation, the need for creative approaches to peacebuilding, and the importance of enhancing critical thinking while encouraging young people to challenge the status quo. 

It is always inspiring to hear the voices of young people and understand their priorities, particularly from those who have recently moved to Northern Ireland. Their passion for social change was truly infectious.