ABSTRACT
This chapter situates the book in the developing interdisciplinary research field of African Peace and Security. It outlines the contours of this research field and identifies characteristics, gaps and contributions. Subsequently, it introduces the book’s main argument, namely that intervention practices of African regional organizations (ROs) have been more diverse and complexly interrelated than has been acknowledged. What is more, these practices have been intimately tied to space-making during conflict interventions – making them simultaneously spatializing practices. The chapter therefore introduces the main research question: how have different actors at African ROs, specifically at ECOWAS and the AU, intervened in conflict situations and how have these interventions related to space-making? The chapter continues by reflecting upon the methods and methodology. Methodologically, the book combines an in-depth study of interventions in conflict in Guinea-Bissau with a comprehensive exploratory mapping of intervention practices across time and different conflict situations. Both are explained in this chapter, followed by an outline of the book.
