The work is based on Dr Staples’ doctoral research in the Department of Geography on the reintegration of former combatants in Colombia.
The Handbook brings together multidisciplinary contributions to the study of livelihoods in low- and middle-income countries, and examines the strategies employed by communities in response to conflict, climate change and other urgent challenges. Echoing the IGSD’s critical approach, the Handbook pays special attention to the role of power dynamics in shaping, enabling and limiting communities in the pursuit of meaningful livelihoods.
In the chapter Livelihoods and Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR), Dr Staples charts the evolution of ‘reintegration’; from a policy approach designed simply to end violence, to a deeper social and structural set of goals. Using evidence from the Colombian experience and beyond, Staples argues that livelihoods perspectives have untapped potential to make sense of former combatants’ individual and collective aspirations, and how these can be harnessed in aid of a lasting peace.
The Handbook is now available (online) here.