Historic Sources of Dispute Resolution: Tradition and Conflict in Liberia

• In Event: Historical Origins and Legacies of Conflict

Abstract

Many local communities throughout the world have non-state processes and institutions in place to address local disputes, here referred to as community dispute resolution (CDR) mechanisms. Some of these institutions are hybrid institutions, rooted in traditional culture but also influenced by changes in state structure, conflict and international influence. In Liberia, despite two civil wars, these CDR institutions continue to exist and continue to address local level disputes before they arise to larger-scale conflict. While communities in Liberia tend to have a common structure of CDR, there is considerable heterogeneity in the ways that these mechanisms operate. For example, some communities have regular, standing meetings with leaders of neighboring communities to discuss local issues as they arise while others do not. Why is there variation in CDR institutions? To what extent does tradition, the civil wars, and United Nations Peacekeeping influence contemporary CDR practices? I rely on interviews, focused on the history of the community, with the head community leader and the women's leader from 75 communities across Monrovia, Liberia to explore these questions further.

Author

• Priscilla Torres, Wellesley College