Instituições, violência e paz: intercessões entre Mudança Institucional e Estudos Para a Paz

Abstract

This article proposes a theoretical articulation between Peace Studies (PS) and the literature on Institutional Change (IC), fields which, although prolific, rarely engage in a systematic dialogue. It departs from the assumption that institutions reproduce and legitimize violence — in its direct, structural, and cultural dimensions — arguing that their intersection provides a promising analytical pathway for transforming conflict-generating structures. The article develops a theoretical model that integrates Galtung’s typology of violence with institutional analysis, demonstrating how ideas and processes of change can both crystallize and mitigate violent dynamics. To illustrate the application of the model, it examines the transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding operations within the United Nations, showing how the institutionalization of new peacebuilding practices articulated external shocks and long-term ideational transformations. It concludes by calling for a research program oriented toward “institutional change for peace,” in which the reform of violent institutions constitutes a central condition for durable peace.