The ‘South’ Speaks Back: Exposing the Ethical Stakes of Dismissing Resilience in Conflict-Affected Contexts

Abstract

This article extends current debates about the worth of resilience-focused interventions in conflict-affected settings and highlights two gaps in the literature: inattention to the role of positionality, and a lack of critical reflection on the binaries drawn between individual needs and structural change. We discuss the complexities of geopolitical conflict, identify the political resistance embedded within resilience, prioritise local voices and needs, problematise Eurocentric knowledge production, and dissolve false dichotomies by honouring the distinctive purposes of different disciplines. We call for new forms of contextualised, epistemic and cognitive global justice that capture the multifaceted, dynamic nature of adversity, resilience, and transformational change.