On December 5, 2018 I met with Dr. Campbell for a 1 hour meeting.[1]We discussed the progress I have made on thinking about my puzzle and my research question.
We drilled my original puzzle down to a more detailed question: How does the ambiguity of the mandate and directives to implement it shape the effectiveness of UN peace operations (through the case of MONUC/MONUSCO) in relation to the protection of civilians?
We discussed that although I did discourse analysis for my interpretivist piece, I will be able to use sources I gathered from my different sketches to propose a single case study for research. The depth of the single case study will allow me to explore variables to operationalize for how civilians are or are not protected in the MONUSCO peacekeeping mission.
She provided me three books that will help me understand peacekeeping operations better as we transition to SISU-306.[2][3][4]She also noted that I will need to conduct interviews and that we can discuss what those will look like when I return from winter break. The plan for my next steps post final paper is to read the books provided and to read Victoria Holt’s work. Holt works at the Stimson Center and “Her areas of expertise focus on issues relating to international security and multilateral tools, including peace operations and conflict prevention, the United Nations and Security Council, protection of civilians, crisis regions and U.S. policy-making.”[5]By reading her work I will better understand how to frame the question I am looking to answer.
I believe the biggest challenge I will have as we transition to SISU-306 is to plan everything out in advance. One of the realities of this program is that we must continue to learn at a certain speed but analyzing the problems we have identified will be time-consuming—though we do not know exactly how much time will be needed. I am optimistic that by planning ahead, I will strike the proper balance, and I anticipate that conducting research over the break without any deadlines will help.
[1]Campbell, Susanna. www.susanacampbell.com.
[2]Bellamy, Alex J., Paul D. Williams, and Stuart Griffin. Understanding Peacekeeping. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2010.
[3]Durch, William J. UN Peacekeeping, American Politics, and the Uncivil Wars of the 1990s 1st ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996.
[4]Durch, William J. Twenty-First-Century Peace Operations Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace and the Henry L. Stimson Center, 2006.
[5]Stimson Center. https://www.stimson.org/staff/victoria-holt#smooth-scroll-top.
Notes
Bellamy, Alex J., Paul D. Williams, and Stuart Griffin. Understanding Peacekeeping.
Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2010.
Campbell, Susanna. www.susanacampbell.com.
Durch, William J. Twenty-First-Century Peace Operations Washington, D.C.: United States
Institute of Peace and the Henry L. Stimson Center, 2006.
Durch, William J. UN Peacekeeping, American Politics, and the Uncivil Wars of the 1990s 1st
Stimson Center. https://www.stimson.org/staff/victoria-holt#smooth-scroll-top.
My mentor for this year is Dr. Susanna Campbell.
Here is an excerpt from her bio:
“Dr. Campbell’s research and teaching address war-to-peace transitions, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, development, global governance, and the micro-dynamics of civil war and peace. She uses mixed-method research designs and has conducted extensive fieldwork in conflict-affected countries, including Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, Sudan, South Sudan, and East Timor. She has received several large grants for her research, including from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Network for International Studies, as well as a United States Institute of Peace Dissertation Fellowship.”
Here is a link to her website: http://www.susannacampbell.com.
Dr. Campbell and I met on Wednesday, September 5, 2018. I am the first Olson Scholar she has worked with, so we discussed the program and what our approach will be for the semester. Every week she is going to introduce me to a new piece of the research puzzle, and give me readings from peace-building experts. She advised me that the purpose of the readings will be to understand how to talk about peace-building. Learning the vocabulary of the field and research fundamentals will be my starting point. I appreciate that she encouraged me to be patient–we aren’t in a rush to find the specific question I’ll tackle this semester because I need to understand the conversation first.
She lent me her book, Global Governance and Local Peace (Cambridge University Press, 2018) so that I can see how she discusses peace-building. She also recommended I get my hands on The Process of Social Research (Dixon, Singleton, Straits; Oxford University Press, 2d edition 2019). I received the latter book on Friday, and have been looking through it already. I like that we are focusing on the fundamentals of research and the broader conversation of peace building, rather than prematurely rushing to find a specific research question. From past experience, I know that deepening my understanding of the sum of the parts will provide a necessary framework as I dive into the details of each individual piece of research and peace-building conversation.
We have another mentor meeting on Wednesday, and I will likely make another post after that meeting. The goal outside of the assignments from our Olson Scholars section will be to look through both the books she recommended.