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Peace and conflict studies

Peace and conflict studies or conflict analysis and resolution is a social science field that identifies and analyzes violent and nonviolent behaviors as well as the structural mechanisms attending conflicts (including social conflicts), with a view towards understanding those processes which lead to a more desirable human condition.[1] A variation on this, peace studies (irenology), is an interdisciplinary effort aiming at the prevention, de-escalation, and solution of conflicts by peaceful means, thereby seeking "victory" for all parties involved in the conflict.

This social science is in contrast to military studies, which has as its aim the efficient attainment of victory in conflicts, primarily by violent means to the satisfaction of one or more, but not all, parties involved.


Disciplines involved may include philosophy, political science, geography, economics, psychology, communication studies, sociology, international relations, history, anthropology, religious studies, gender studies, law, and development studies as well as a variety of others. Relevant sub-disciplines of such fields, such as peace economics, may be regarded as belonging to peace and conflict studies also.

Historical background[edit]

Peace and conflict studies is both a pedagogical activity, in which teachers transmit knowledge to students; and a research activity, in which researchers create new knowledge about the sources of conflict. Peace and conflict studies entails understanding the concept of peace which is defined as political condition that ensures justice and social stability through formal and informal institutions, practices, and norms.

Multidisciplinary, encompassing elements of and International Relations, Sociology, Geography, Psychology, Anthropology and Economics.

Politics

Multilevel. Peace studies examines intrapersonal peace, peace between individuals, neighbours, ethnic groups, marriages, states and civilisations.

Multicultural. is often cited as a paradigm of Peace Studies.

Gandhi

Both and normative. As a normative discipline, Peace Studies involves value judgements, such as "better" and "bad".

analytic

Both theoretical and applied.

[5]

Peace and conflict studies along with its concepts of conflict analysis and conflict resolution[14][15][16][17][18] can be classified as:


There has been a long-standing debate on disarmament issues, as well as attempts to investigate, catalogue, and analyse issues relating to arms production, trade, and their political impacts.[19] There have also been attempt to map the economic costs of war, or of relapses into violence, as opposed to those of peace.


Peace and conflict studies is now well established within the social sciences: it comprises many scholarly journals, college and university departments, peace research institutes, conferences, as well as outside recognition of the utility of peace and conflict studies as a method.


Peace Studies allows one to examine the causes and prevention of war, as well as the nature of violence, including social oppression, discrimination and marginalization. Through peace studies one can also learn peace-making strategies to overcome persecution and transform society to attain a more just and equitable international community.


Feminist scholars have developed a speciality within conflict studies, specifically examining the role of gender and interlocking systems of inequality in armed and other conflicts.[20][21] The importance of considering the role of gender in post-conflict work was recognised by the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325. Examples of feminist scholarship include the work of Carol Cohn and Claire Duncanson.

The crux of the matter is that peace is a natural social condition, whereas war is not. The premise is simple for peace researchers: to present enough information so that a rational group of decision makers will seek to avoid war and conflict.

Second, the view that violence is sinful or unskillful, and that non-violence is skillful or virtuous and should be cultivated. This view is held by a variety of religious traditions worldwide: Quakers, Mennonites and other within Christianity; Baháʼís, Jains, the Satyagraha tradition in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other portions of Indian religion and philosophy; as well as certain schools of Islam.

Peace churches

Third is : the view that peace is a prime force in human behaviour.

pacifism

A further approach is that there are multiple modes of peace.

[25]

Peace and conflict studies in military[edit]

Peace and conflict are widely studied by militaries. One approach by military to prevent conflict and conflict escalation is deterrence.[58] Critical theory argues that military is overtly committed to combat in the article "Teaching Peace to the Military", published in the journal Peace Review,[59] James Page argues for five principles that ought to undergird this undertaking, namely, respect but do not privilege military experience, teach the just war theory, encourage students to be aware of the tradition and techniques of nonviolence, encourage students to deconstruct and demythologize, and recognize the importance of military virtue.

does not produce practical prescriptions for managing or resolving global conflicts because " always trumps objectivity and pragmatism";

ideology

are focused on putting a "respectable face on Western ";

self-loathing

are hypocritical because they "tacitly or openly support as a permissible strategy for the 'disempowered' to redress real or perceived grievances against the powerful" (i.e. ideological anti-Western concepts developed by social scientists such as Johan Galtung which arguably add a sense of unjustified acceptability which is used in support of radicalism);

terrorism

have curricula that are (according to human rights activist and philosopher Roger Scruton) "intellectually incoherent, riddled with bias and unworthy of academic status...";[60]

Caroline Cox

have policies proposed to "eliminate the causes of violence" that are uniformly policies, and not necessarily policies which would find broad agreement among social scientists.[61]

leftist

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ISBN

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doi

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ISBN

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at Curlie

Peace and conflict studies

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"Peace and Conflict Studies (International Joint Award)"

Interview with Werner Wintersteiner on

peace education