Rituals in combatant-to-civilian transformation

2026-07-22

In 2023, the number of conflicts reached its highest level since 1946, making it one of the most violent years on record. Many of these conflicts were recurring, suggesting that efforts to reintegrate ex-combatants from non-state groups have largely been unsuccessful. While most research on reintegration has focused on its economic and political aspects, it has overlooked the role and impact of one of the most universal activities in human social life: rituals. The overall objective of Com2Civ is to explain how rituals influence the social reintegration of ex-combatants, both positively and negatively. To achieve this, Com2Civ has two sub-objectives: to (1) develop a theory on how rituals influence individuals’ socialization into combatant identities and, after demobilization, into civilian identities; and (2) generate new evidence on the impact of rituals on social reintegration trajectories through a novel combination of research methods. Rituals are notoriously difficult to study and collect systematic data on. To overcome these challenges, Com2Civ adopts two strategies. First, it takes a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on insights from political science, social psychology, anthropology, and gender studies. Second, it employs an innovative combination of life history interviews, surveys, and the social cartography method. These will be implemented in a participatory research design involving ex-combatants from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) in Colombia. Importantly, Com2Civ will reveal the social-psychological mechanisms involved in combatant-to-civilian transformation processes, contributing to scientific efforts aimed at understanding the mechanisms of conflict prevention. Com2Civ results will appear in major multidisciplinary journals, advancing the field in at least four disciplines.

Norway

2026-02-01