The Postwar City

Abstract

Postwar cities, where war is over yet the socio-political ordering of society remains contested, tend to be highly unstable flashpoints in war-to-peace transitions as well as where the starkest continuities of war in peace are located. This often makes them unsafe and problematic for citizens to live in, dysfunctional as cities, and Gordian knots of wider peace processes. Here the principal research problem of this book emerges. “The city” is namely often theorised and historically proven to have great potential to transcend societal divides, bridge communities, and foster coexistence. “The postwar city”, however, fulfils little to none of this potential. This book takes departure from this unfulfilled potential and focuses on why the continuities of war in peace are reinforced rather than transcended in the postwar city. This chapter introduces and contextualises the principal research problem that the postwar city constitutes and provides an outline of the book.