Political sociology of peacebuilding organizations. Introduction

This special section turns its gaze inwards to explore how legitimateauthority is constructed in the field of peacebuilding. Authoritybuilding in peacebuilding has attracted much research interestsince peacebuilding efforts have become unending ‘transitions’from war to peace. Commonly, the main reference point of thesedebates is Max Weber’s distinction between bureaucratic,traditional and charismatic legitimacy. Drawing on the articles inthis special section, the introduction discusses the limits of aWeberian approach and suggests a number of amendments inorder to better frame research into the political sociology ofglobal institutions of peace