The Virtual Encyclopaedia is a compilation of theory, research, and practice in peace and conflict studies from de- and postcolonial approaches, with an emphasis on the contributions from the collaborative network Postcolonial Hierarchies in Peace and Conflict. Conventionally, a defining feature of encyclopaedias has been their purpose of collecting knowledge and providing definitions from a universal perspective. While universalism is frequently attributed to supposedly value-free views held by European researchers and philosophers from the age of Enlightenment onwards, the Virtual Encyclopaedia goes against this notion and strives to capture and reflect concepts’ contested character and context relevance. Rather than unambiguous and all-encompassing definitions, the Virtual Encyclopaedia aims to provide readers with the tools to critically approach the field of peace and conflict studies from the lenses of postcolonial theory and decolonial thought.

In the frame of the Postcolonial Hierarchies’ network, the Encyclopaedia is both an outcome and a process. As an output, it is an open-access platform offering an engaging and critical compendium of crucial theoretical and conceptual debates, empirical analyses, and thorough reflection on methods and knowledge production in the field. It combines text, audio, video, and storytelling across different formats. As a process, the Encyclopaedia builds on the work of the collaborative research network and is envisioned as a long-term endeavour that will evolve gradually. Taking seriously the critique of the coloniality of knowledge advanced by postcolonial scholarship, the process aims to address epistemic hierarchies and inequalities by promoting the inclusion of multiple and diverse voices (in terms of fields, regions, and career stages) and plural perspectives, as well as fostering cooperative networks.