89 © The Author(s) 2020 Y. Uesugi (ed.), Hybrid Peacebuilding in Asia, Security, Development and Human Rights in East Asia, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18865-8_5 CHAPTER 5 Roles of Religious Leaders as Bridge-Builders: A Case Study of Cambodia SungYong Lee Abstract This chapter explores the roles of religious leaders as bridge- builders in confict-affected societies by examining the peace activities of Cambodian Buddhist monks. It presents the forms of social bridges that the monks have developed by utilising their religious legitimacy, local knowledge, and social networks. The Buddhist monks play signifcant roles in building a horizontal bridge, redressing the public’s misunder- standing of the minorities’ demands and activities, delivering accurate information to different social groups, and reducing people’s reluctance or fear about expressing their support. Then it analyses the hybrid nature of the peacebuilding programmes developed by the monks. Many principles and operational features of these programmes incorporate international approaches to peacebuilding, Buddhist principles and philosophy, as well as local cosmologies and rituals. Such hybridity is an outcome of Buddhist monks’ efforts to help the public understand the objectives of their activi- ties and reduce the perceived barriers which prevent their participation. S. Lee (*) Senior Lecturer, The National Centre for Peace and Confict Studies, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand e-mail: sungyong.lee@otago.ac.nz