Resilience is its own resistance: the place of children in post-conflict settlement

In portrayals of contemporary conflict and post-conflict situations, we most often think of children as victims. This article will consider whether such a widespread portrayal is actually counterproductive, both in terms of the conceptualization of childhood and on the conceptualization of the roles that children might play in the international security system. It argues that an emphasis on rationality constrains the way in which we consider who might have agency in the international system and that there is a place for children as distinct actors in post-conflict settings. It is thus a call too for the greater examination of the emotional processes and resilience present in post-conflict settings, and what such resilience may inspire: love, compassion, community, and a recognized place for children as actors in their own right.