The cultural roots of peace: peace formation, everyday peace practices, and institutional frameworks for sustainable peace in Dawuro society, Southwest Ethiopia

This study investigates the indigenous peace formation mechanisms of Ethiopia’s Dawuro ethnic community through the dual lenses of Practice Theory and Everyday peacebuilding. Employing a qualitative research methodology with thematic analysis of primary and secondary data, the research reveals a sophisticated peace system characterized by institutional redundancy and multilevel functionality. The findings demonstrate how Dawuro’s sociocultural institutions, including oath-swearing rituals, communal labor systems, and restorative ceremonies, collectively maintain harmony through overlapping safeguards. This study identifies three operational tiers of peace: individual self-regulation practices, familial conflict mediation through dialogue, and communal norms reinforcing cooperation. Economic reciprocity systems and shared social spaces further institutionalize stability, creating structural incentives for peaceful coexistence. Crucially, this indigenous model proactively addresses conflict drivers through cultural capital rather than reactive intervention. These findings challenge conventional peacebuilding paradigms by demonstrating the efficacy of locally embedded systems that prioritize restorative justice and community resilience. The study contributes to peacebuilding discourse by validating indigenous frameworks as sustainable alternatives to state-centric approaches, particularly through their adaptive utilization of social norms and everyday practices.