Staff profile

Stefanie Kappler joined Durham University in 2015. Her research focuses on forms of resistance against peacebuilding and she has conducted fieldwork in Bosnia-Herzegovina, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Brussels, Kosovo and the Basque Country.

Stefanie is interested in how contested memories of past violence and its legacies in the present impact upon peacebuilding efforts. She has specifically investigated the role that artists can play in peacebuilding processes to engage with demands for justice in the face of past and present forms of violence and inequality.

Stefanie has been working on externally-funded projects to investigate the connection between memory politics, cultural heritage and peacebuilding (see http://peaceandmemory.net/), the role of the arts in peace formation processes (https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/the-art-of-peace/home/about/) and decolonising peace education (https://www.dur.ac.uk/sgia/about/news/?itemno=41641).

Stefanie previously acted as Director of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Centre for War and Peace Studies (Liverpool Hope University) und is currently Deputy Head of School and Director of Research at SGIA.

• Memory Politics
• Legacies of Violence
• Peacebuilding
• The role of art in peace formation
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• South Africa

Authored book

• Peace and the Politics of Memory
  
  Mannergren, J., Björkdahl, A., Buckley-Zistel, S., Kappler, S., & Williams, T. (2024). Peace and the Politics of Memory. Manchester University Press. https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526178329
• Peacebuilding and Spatial Transformation: Peace, Space and Place
  
  Björkdahl, A., & Kappler, S. (2017). Peacebuilding and Spatial Transformation: Peace, Space and Place. Routledge.
• Local Agency and Peacebuilding. EU and International Engagement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and South Africa
  
  Kappler, S. (2014). Local Agency and Peacebuilding. EU and International Engagement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus and South Africa. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137307194

Book review

• Cities at War: Global Insecurity and Urban Resistance
  
  Kappler, S. (2020). Cities at War: Global Insecurity and Urban Resistance. Global Policy. Advance online publication.
• Film review:" A Snake Gives Birth to a Snake". Michael Lessac (dir). New York, USA: Saboteur Media, 2014
  
  Kappler, S. (2018). Film review:" A Snake Gives Birth to a Snake". Michael Lessac (dir). New York, USA: Saboteur Media, 2014. Cooperation and Conflict, 53(4), 545-548. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010836718769696

Chapter in book

• Theorising Peace Formation and the Arts
  
  Kappler, S., Richmond, O. P., & Vogel, B. (2024). Theorising Peace Formation and the Arts. In B. Vogel, S. Kappler, & O. P. Richmond (Eds.), The Art of Peace Formation: Arts-based Social Movements, Opportunities and Blockages. Edinburgh University Press.
• Conclusion: Artpeace and its Potential for Peacemaking
  
  Kappler, S., & Richmond, O. P. (2024). Conclusion: Artpeace and its Potential for Peacemaking. In B. Vogel, S. Kappler, & O. P. Richmond (Eds.), The Art of Peace Formation: Arts-based Social Movements, Opportunities and Blockages. Edinburgh University Press.
• Introduction to Artpeace: Arts-based Social Movements, Peace Formation and Curation
  
  Kappler, S., Richmond, O. P., & Vogel, B. (2024). Introduction to Artpeace: Arts-based Social Movements, Peace Formation and Curation. In B. Vogel, S. Kappler, & O. P. Richmond (Eds.), The Art of Peace Formation: Arts-based Social Movements, Opportunities and Blockages. Edinburgh University Press.
• Negotiating binaries in curatorial practice: modality, temporality, and materiality in Cape Town's community-led urban history museums
  
  Kappler, S., & McKane, A. (2022). Negotiating binaries in curatorial practice: modality, temporality, and materiality in Cape Town’s community-led urban history museums. In U. Capdepon & S. Dornhof (Eds.), Contested Urban Spaces. Monuments, Traces, and Decentered Memories (pp. 65-82). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87505-3_4
• Privilege
  
  Kappler, S. (2021). Privilege. In R. Mac Ginty, R. Brett, & B. Vogel (Eds.), The companion to peace and conflict fieldwork. (pp. 421-432). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46433-2_29
• Spaces of Peace
  
  Björkdahl, A., & Kappler, S. (2021). Spaces of Peace. In O. P. Richmond & G. Visoka (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of peacebuilding, statebuilding, and peace formation. (pp. 139-151). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190904418.013.9
• From Power-Blind Binaries to the Intersectionality of Peace: Connecting Feminism and Critical Peace and Conflict Studies
  
  Kappler, S., & Lemay-Hebert, N. (2021). From Power-Blind Binaries to the Intersectionality of Peace: Connecting Feminism and Critical Peace and Conflict Studies. In L. McLeod & M. O’Reilly (Eds.), Feminist Interventions in Critical Peace and Conflict Studies. Routledge.
• Peacebuilding as a Self-Legitimising System: The Case of Bosnia-Herzegovina
  
  Kappler, S. (2020). Peacebuilding as a Self-Legitimising System: The Case of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In O. Richmond & R. Mac Ginty (Eds.), Local legitimacy and international peacebuilding. Edinburgh University Press.
• The Spatial Dimensions of State-Building
  
  Björkdahl, A., & Kappler, S. (2019). The Spatial Dimensions of State-Building. In N. Lemay-Hebert (Ed.), Handbook of intervention and statebuilding. (pp. 210-219). Edward Elgar.
• Peacebuilding and Spatial Transformation
  
  Björkdahl, A., & Kappler, S. (2019). Peacebuilding and Spatial Transformation. In O. Richmond & G. Visoka (Eds.), The Palgrave encyclopedia of peace and conflict studies. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11795-5_23-1
• The Securitization of International Peacebuilding
  
  Kappler, S. (2017). The Securitization of International Peacebuilding. In T. Bonacker, W. Distler, & M. Ketzmerick (Eds.), Securitization in statebuilding and intervention. Nomos. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845285825-29
• Positive Peace
  
  Kappler, S. (2017). Positive Peace. In F. M. Moghaddam (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of political behavior. (pp. 640-641). SAGE Publications.
• Bosnia-Herzegovina: Domestic Agency and the Inadequacy of the Liberal Peace
  
  Belloni, R., Kappler, S., & Ramovic, J. (2016). Bosnia-Herzegovina: Domestic Agency and the Inadequacy of the Liberal Peace. In O. Richmond & S. Pogodda (Eds.), Post-liberal peace transitions : between peace formation and state formation. (pp. 47-64). Edinburgh University Press.
• Hybrid local ownership in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo: From discursive to material aspects of ownership
  
  Kappler, S., & Lemay-Hébert, N. (2015). Hybrid local ownership in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo: From discursive to material aspects of ownership. In S. Y. Lee & A. Özerdem (Eds.), Local ownership in international peacebuilding : key theoretical and practical issues. (pp. 74-92). Routledge.
• Retelling the City: Competing Spaces of Social Engagement in Cape Town
  
  Kappler, S. (2015). Retelling the City: Competing Spaces of Social Engagement in Cape Town. In A. Björkdahl & L. Strömbom (Eds.), Divided cities : governing diversity. (pp. 131-150). Nordic Academic Press.
• Connecting the Local and the Global - Understanding International Relations through Global Networks
  
  Forde, S., & Kappler, S. (2014). Connecting the Local and the Global - Understanding International Relations through Global Networks. In K. Vaidya (Ed.), International relations and diplomacy for the curious : why study international relations and diplomacy. Curious Academic Publishing.
• Connecting the Local and the Global - Understanding International Relations through Global Networks
  
  Forde, S., & Kappler, S. (2014). Connecting the Local and the Global - Understanding International Relations through Global Networks. In International Relations for the Curious High School & College Students: Why Study International Relations? (The Undecided Student’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career Path). The Curious Academic Publishing.
• Everyday Legitimacy in Post-Conflict Spaces: The Creation of Social Legitimacy in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Cultural Arenas
  
  Kappler, S. (2014). Everyday Legitimacy in Post-Conflict Spaces: The Creation of Social Legitimacy in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Cultural Arenas. In D. Roberts (Ed.), Liberal peacebuilding and the locus of legitimacy. (pp. 11-38). Routledge.
• Representations of Peace in the EU Peacebuilding Approach in Bosnia-Herzegovina
  
  Kappler, S. (2012). Representations of Peace in the EU Peacebuilding Approach in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In K. Aggestam & A. Bjorkdahl (Eds.), Rethinking Peacebuilding The Quest for Just Peace in the Middle East and the Western Balkans. Routledge.
• Liberal Peacebuilding’s Representation of the Local: The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina
  
  Kappler, S. (2012). Liberal Peacebuilding’s Representation of the Local: The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In O. Richmond & A. Mitchell (Eds.), Hybrid Forms of Peace: From Everyday Agency to Post-Liberalism. Palgrave.

Edited book

• The Art of Peace Formation. Arts-based Social Movements, Opportunities and Blockages
  
  Vogel, B., Kappler, S., & Richmond, O. P. (Eds.). (2024). The Art of Peace Formation. Arts-based Social Movements, Opportunities and Blockages. Edinburgh University Press.
• Mass media and the Genocide of the Armenians: One Hundred Years of Uncertain Representation
  
  Chabot, J., Godin, R., Kappler, S., & Kasparian, S. (Eds.). (2015). Mass media and the Genocide of the Armenians: One Hundred Years of Uncertain Representation. Palgrave.

Journal Article

• Resounding Resistance: Decolonising Memory Through Johannesburg's Sound Art Narratives
  
  Kappler, S., Gunter, A., & Truter, L. (2025). Resounding Resistance: Decolonising Memory Through Johannesburg’s Sound Art Narratives. Memory Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/17506980251334981
• Soundscapes of Mostar: Space and art beyond the divided city
  
  Cole, L. C., & Kappler, S. (2022). Soundscapes of Mostar: Space and art beyond the divided city. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 16(5), 641-658. https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2022.2128592
• Precarity, Mobility and the City: Introduction to the Special Issue
  
  Bakonyi, J., Kappler, S., Nag, E., & Opfermann, L. S. (2021). Precarity, Mobility and the City: Introduction to the Special Issue. Global Policy, 12(S2), 5-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12946
• Curating (im)mobility: Peri-urban agency in the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum
  
  Kappler, S. (2021). Curating (im)mobility: Peri-urban agency in the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum. Global Policy, 12(S2), 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12832
• Peacebuilding, Structural Violence & Spatial Reparations in Post-Colonial South Africa
  
  Forde, S., Kappler, S., & Björkdahl, A. (2021). Peacebuilding, Structural Violence & Spatial Reparations in Post-Colonial South Africa. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 15(3), 327-346. https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2021.1909297
• The creation of transnational memory spaces: professionalization and commercialization
  
  Björkdahl, A., & Kappler, S. (2019). The creation of transnational memory spaces: professionalization and commercialization. International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, 32(4), 383-401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10767-019-09334-7
• ‘Post-Conflict Curating’: the Arts and Politics of Belfast’s Peace Walls
  
  Kappler, S., & McKane, A. (2019). ‘Post-Conflict Curating’: the Arts and Politics of Belfast’s Peace Walls. De Arte., 54(2), 4-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043389.2019.1613747
• From Power-Blind Binaries to the Intersectionality of Peace: Connecting Feminism and Critical Peace and Conflict Studies
  
  Kappler, S., & Lemay-Hébert, N. (2019). From Power-Blind Binaries to the Intersectionality of Peace: Connecting Feminism and Critical Peace and Conflict Studies. Peacebuilding, 7(2), 160-177. https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2019.1588456
• The Legitimisation of Post-Conflict Intervention: Narrative Frames of Backwardness and Progress
  
  Kappler, S. (2018). The Legitimisation of Post-Conflict Intervention: Narrative Frames of Backwardness and Progress. Political Geography, 66, 130-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2018.08.014
• Sarajevo’s Ambivalent Memoryscape: Spatial stories of peace and conflict
  
  Kappler, S. (2017). Sarajevo’s Ambivalent Memoryscape: Spatial stories of peace and conflict. Memory Studies, 10(2), 130-143. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750698016650484
• What Attachment to Peace? Exploring the Normative and Material Dimensions of Local Ownership in Peacebuilding
  
  Lemay-Hébert, N., & Kappler, S. (2016). What Attachment to Peace? Exploring the Normative and Material Dimensions of Local Ownership in Peacebuilding. Review of International Studies, 42(5), 895-914. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0260210516000061
• Information and communication technologies in peacebuilding: Implications, opportunities and challenges
  
  Tellidis, I., & Kappler, S. (2016). Information and communication technologies in peacebuilding: Implications, opportunities and challenges. Cooperation and Conflict, 51(1), 75-93. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010836715603752
• The ‘Field’ in the Age of Intervention: Power, Legitimacy, and Authority Versus the ‘Local’
  
  Richmond, O., Kappler, S., & Björkdahl, A. (2015). The ‘Field’ in the Age of Intervention: Power, Legitimacy, and Authority Versus the ‘Local’. Millennium : Journal of International Studies, 44(1), 23-44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305829815594871
• The dynamic local: delocalisation and (re-)localisation in the search for peacebuilding identity
  
  Kappler, S. (2015). The dynamic local: delocalisation and (re-)localisation in the search for peacebuilding identity. Third World Quarterly, 36(5), 875-889. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2015.1025740
• Peacebuilding
  
  Vogel, B., Richmond, O. P., Mac Ginty, R., Tellidis, I., & Kappler, S. (2014). Peacebuilding. Peace Review, 26(4), 517-519. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2014.972255
• Peacebuilding and lines of friction between imagined communities in Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Africa
  
  Kappler, S. (2013). Peacebuilding and lines of friction between imagined communities in Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Africa. Peacebuilding, 1(3), 349-364. https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2013.813177
• Everyday Legitimacy in Post-Conflict Spaces: The Creation of Social Legitimacy in Bosnia-Herzegovina's Cultural Arenas
  
  Kappler, S. (2013). Everyday Legitimacy in Post-Conflict Spaces: The Creation of Social Legitimacy in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Cultural Arenas. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 7(1), 11-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2012.655614
• Coping with research: local tactics of resistance against (mis-)representation in academia
  
  Kappler, S. (2013). Coping with research: local tactics of resistance against (mis-)representation in academia. Peacebuilding, 1(1), 125-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2013.756279
• Divergent Transformation and Centrifugal Peacebuilding: The EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  
  Kappler, S. (2012). Divergent Transformation and Centrifugal Peacebuilding: The EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina. International Peacekeeping, 19(5), 612-627. https://doi.org/10.1080/13533312.2012.722001
• The emerging EU peacebuilding framework: confirming or transcending liberal peacebuilding?
  
  Richmond, O., Björkdahl, A., & Kappler, S. (2011). The emerging EU peacebuilding framework: confirming or transcending liberal peacebuilding? Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 24(3), 449-469. https://doi.org/10.1080/09557571.2011.586331
• Peacebuilding and culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Resistance or emancipation?
  
  Kappler, S., & Richmond, O. (2011). Peacebuilding and culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Resistance or emancipation? Security Dialogue, 42(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010611405377

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• Colombia's troubled peace process and the lessons of Bosnia-Herzegovina
  
  Kappler, S., & Monroy-Santander, L. (2018). Colombia’s troubled peace process and the lessons of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Conversation.

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• Working with the cultural heritage of conflict for peacebuilding: Lessons learned from the Western Balkans
  
  Kappler, S., & Mannergren Selimovic, J. (2021). Working with the cultural heritage of conflict for peacebuilding: Lessons learned from the Western Balkans.

Report

• Reconciliation and Justice in the Western Balkans
  
  Kappler, S., & Ramović, J. (2024). Reconciliation and Justice in the Western Balkans (S. Mildner & T. Bories, Eds.). Aspen Institute Germany.