Responding to the burgeoning interest in the role of civil society in peace processes, this groundbreaking collaborative effort identifies the constructive functions of civil society in support of peacebuilding both during and in the aftermath of armed conflict. The authors also highlight the factors that support those functions and the obstacles to their fulfillment. A comprehensive analytical framework is applied to 11 country cases, not only allowing comparative analysis, but also providing a new tool for further research. The work identifies the constructive functions of civil society in support of peacebuilding both during and in the aftermath of armed conflict, as well as the factors that support those functions and the obstacles to their fulfillment.