A Theoretical Framework for Archaeological Heritage and Peacebuilding in Post-conflict Societies: The Nigerian Northeast Case

The relationship between archaeological heritage and post-conflict peacebuilding has attracted growing scholarly attention in global heritage studies, yet the theoretical frameworks developed in European and Middle Eastern contexts require critical adaptation before they can be applied to the specific social, political, and cultural conditions of sub-Saharan African post-conflict societies. This dissertation develops an original theoretical framework for archaeological heritage and peacebuilding applicable to post-conflict societies, using the northeastern Nigeria case as the primary empirical and theoretical testing ground. The framework is constructed through a synthesis of post-conflict heritage theory, transitional justice scholarship, African social philosophy including ubuntu and related communitarian ethics, and empirical data drawn from multi-year fieldwork in communities across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states recovering from Boko Haram-related conflict. Three theoretical propositions are developed and tested: first, that heritage reconstruction functions most effectively as a peacebuilding instrument when it is community-owned rather than externally directed; second, that the commemorative dimension of damaged heritage sites carries autonomous peacebuilding value distinct from the conservation dimension; and third, that the deliberate exclusion of contested heritage narratives from peace processes prolongs social division even when physical reconstruction is complete. Empirical testing draws on comparative case studies of heritage recovery programmes at five site types in the northeast, evaluated against peace indicators drawn from sociological conflict transformation theory. The framework's original contribution lies in its integration of materiality and social repair in a theoretically coherent model applicable beyond the Nigerian context. Keywords: heritage peacebuilding, post-conflict societies, northeast Nigeria, theoretical framework, community-led recovery.