Lives Amid Violence

This ground-breaking book, drawing on eight years of in-depth research by the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC), is a clarion call for doing away with technocratic approaches to supporting the lives and livelihoods of people affected by conflict, and recognizing that development work is intensely political and must be shaped by local realities. * Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive at ODI, UK *
Lives Amid Violence is a profoundly important book – one that brilliantly and compassionately disrupts decades of conventional wisdom. Anyone who studies, or cares about, the survival and well-being of people who live in the midst of violent conflict will benefit from its remarkable breadth, attention to ethical nuance, and political wisdom. * Michael L. Ross, UCLA, USA *
The critical importance of this books is captured in its main question: ‘how humans live in the shadow of violence’. This substantial question is taken further by several other questions that are framing the analysis: how do we, as researchers and policy actors, know? Do we have the relevant conceptual and cognitive apparatus to deal with many of the policy challenges and failures people experience in their lives. These questions are providing much needed critical evaluation of international development policies used in post-conflict contexts. The central contribution of this critical-context analytical approach is the way it is centred on those people who are at the receiving end of these policies in different contexts, and whether their experience-based knowledge is part of the international policy thinking. This is a must-read for those who are interested in the intersections of conflict/violence, international development policy and people’s wellbeing. The book is based on significant research knowledge and policy experiences within multiple development policy contexts. It provides theoretically informed critical analysis of development policy practice in different and differentiated conflict/post conflict contexts. * Hakan Seckinelgin, Associate Professor/Reader in International Social Policy, LSE', UK *
Schomerus brings our attention to the most difficult challenges vexing development today, providing some useful ways forward for doing just that. It is a personal piece, written with the authors voice and informed by the authors experience, yet readers will find it applies nearly universally in the most challenging places where they work. I expect this book will become a staple, kept handy by development professionals who want to have real impact. My copy will soon be dogeared from frequent review. I’m looking forward to rereading it many times in the future. * Dr Gary Milante, Programme Director, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute *
One of the wisest books I’ve read in a long time … [The] research contributes, among other things, lots of great illustrative examples from around the world … [A] brilliant reflection on the power and stickiness of ‘mental models’ in the aid business [and] a significant book. * From Poverty to Power *
Using her wealth of experience of working in and with people who continue to live amidst violence, Schomerus provides readers a new framework for why development is not working in fragile places and how by shifting our mental model about how development works, we may craft a new path forward. * Rebecca Wolfe, Harris School for Public Policy, University of Chicago, USA *