{"id":88963,"date":"2026-07-23T09:15:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T00:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/?p=88963"},"modified":"2026-07-23T09:21:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T00:21:47","slug":"podcast-column-building-peace-from-the-ground-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/88963","title":{"rendered":"[Podcast Column] Building Peace from the Ground Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In this\u00a0podcast column, we explore and excerpt of the fifth episode\u00a0of Season 2 of\u00a0Waseda\u00a0University\u2019s English-language podcast \u201cRigorous Research, Real Impact.\u201d Associate Professor Megumi Kagawa (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/fsss\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Faculty of Social Sciences<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">) appears as the featured guest in an episode on conflict analysis and peacebuilding, focusing on how peace is built from the ground up in post-conflict societies.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;134245417&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Building on her research on local peace initiatives, particularly in the Bangsamoro peace process in the Southern Philippines, Assoc. Prof. Kagawa examines how national peace agreements interact with existing community-led efforts. In the excerpt below, she explains the challenges local communities face when national agreements are implemented and introduces the concept of \u201chybrid peacebuilding\u201d as a framework for understanding how different systems of governance and authority interact in peace processes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Hybrid Peacebuilding: Local Voices in Conflict Resolution (Assoc. Prof. Megumi Kagawa)\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/06lF0n0QxywVqDztXt2xCh?si=f-nve9wkQZmKR4gWNBXAIw&amp;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">All eight episodes of Season 2\u00a0of\u00a0Waseda\u00a0University\u2019s English podcast \u201cRigorous Research, Real Impact\u201d\u00a0are\u00a0currently streaming for free on\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/61VF3lETynCBuXt1AxXjXK?si=3eba847f8061431e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Spotify,<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/e0aa1340-7af7-4227-9361-88eecc575214\/waseda-university-podcasts-rigorous-research-real-impact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Amazon Music<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/waseda-university-podcasts-rigorous-research-real-impact\/id1777915569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Apple Podcasts<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, and\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLeA0hDJkLYZDjs3b58eEZ1WnkvNJf9e9R\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">YouTube<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_88966\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/86390\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-88966 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026.6.29-Eng-Pod-Ep-5-cropped-banner.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1638\" height=\"943\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026.6.29-Eng-Pod-Ep-5-cropped-banner.png 1638w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026.6.29-Eng-Pod-Ep-5-cropped-banner-610x351.png 610w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026.6.29-Eng-Pod-Ep-5-cropped-banner-768x442.png 768w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/assets\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026.6.29-Eng-Pod-Ep-5-cropped-banner-1536x884.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1638px) 100vw, 1638px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">You can read the full transcript by\u00a0clicking\u00a0the above episode banner.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Question: Your research on \u201c<\/span><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1007\/978-3-030-67288-1_11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Uneven Peace Infiltration<\/span><\/b><\/a><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d examines how national peace agreements affect local, community-led peace initiatives. Could you explain the challenges these communities face and introduce the concept of \u201chybrid peacebuilding\u201d?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Professor Kagawa (1:40):<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Okay, let\u2019s start from there, what that means, \u201chybrid peacebuilding.\u201d Because \u201chybrid\u201d means starting and mixing with one and another one. And then one thing is about liberal peacebuilding, which is institutional building, like in other words, state-building. And then another one is a local customary governance, so how local community tries to govern themselves and then try to hybridize. Because if you are imposing an international norm of liberal peacebuilding, they might defend. So that\u2019s why we\u2019re trying to mix it and then hybrid the peacebuilding. And then also in reality, even if they sign a peace agreement, it might not be implemented soon. So, we\u2019re trying to find a way of how to implement it.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">And\u00a0also\u00a0it could be\u00a0the elite-led peacebuilding. So, for ground people, if they have a different kind of social hierarchy,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0difficult to go down\u2013all the peace dividend on the ground.\u00a0So, we\u2019re trying to find out how we can try to give them a space to live.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">That\u2019s\u00a0why my research is a local\u00a0peacebuilding, because\u00a0the local community is the space for people to live. So that\u2019s how people make a life and then how they build\u00a0peace. And\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0the space of the first and the last\u00a0peacebuilding. So, people started to build\u00a0the peace\u00a0from on the ground, and it might break from the local level, not from the top level. So\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0why\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0very important\u00a0to research and work for\u00a0maintaining\u00a0the peace\u00a0and starting\u00a0the peace\u00a0and encouraging\u00a0the peace. Local peacebuilding is\u00a0very important, so\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0why\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0looking\u00a0at\u00a0the ground-up situation.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202fAnd then also the legal rationale source to gain\u00a0power\u00a0sometimes can be abused. Culturally, it might be\u00a0a different way\u00a0they interpreted institutional law. So\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0why\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0trying to look for the\u00a0more soft\u00a0power to govern themselves.\u00a0War divided the people into different communities, so we have to bridge communities.\u00a0So, all the communities are divided, so we try to find a way to bridge them to each other.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">My definition of hybrid\u00a0peacebuilding\u00a0is not only the mixing with the institutional or liberal peacebuilding and then the local governance system, but also mixing with the rebel governance, because the rebel is the one who are in the peace process and\u00a0also,\u00a0they are the one with the power in transition time. So\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0why I mean \u201chybrid\u201d\u2013it means a three-way mix.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Waseda Podcasts: &quot;Rigorous Research, Real Impact&quot;-- Season 2, Ep. 5 Teaser\" width=\"422\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GhmC6tzuKgw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">About the Guest:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/w-rdb.waseda.jp\/html\/100003457_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Associate Professor Megumi Kagawa<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Megumi Kagawa is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences at\u00a0Waseda\u00a0University. Her research fields include international relations and conflict analysis\u00a0&amp; resolution, with a particular interest in\u00a0peacebulding. She is a member of The Japan Association of International Relations, The American Political Science Association, Conflict Research Society, and the International Studies Association.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134245417&quot;:false,&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this\u00a0podcast column, we explore and excerpt of the fifth episode\u00a0of Season 2 of\u00a0Waseda\u00a0University\u2019s English [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":88970,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,117],"tags":[355,379,178],"class_list":["post-88963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-topic","tag-highlight-en","tag-podcast-en","tag-research-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88963"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88974,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88963\/revisions\/88974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}