Who defines peace—and whose knowledge gets to count?
In this episode of the SADF Podcast, Tapas Kanti Baul and Natasha Fernando speak with Dr Chamindra Weerawardhana about what it means to decolonise peacebuilding in South Asia.
Drawing on Sri Lanka and the wider region, the discussion explores how peacebuilding has often been shaped by Western institutions, elite networks and inherited colonial structures. It also examines the role of women in conflict and post-conflict societies, the limits of elite female political representation, the persistence of gender-based violence, and the need to rethink the Women, Peace and Security agenda from a decolonial feminist perspective.
At the heart of the conversation is a larger challenge: can South Asia build peace through its own histories, knowledge systems and political experiences—while creating more space for those traditionally excluded from decision-making?
#SouthAsia #SriLanka #Peacebuilding #Decolonisation #Feminism #WomenPeaceSecurity #GenderJustice #ConflictTransformation #HumanRights #Democracy #SADF
[Click DOWNLOAD PDF for the edited transcript!]
