Peace Research – Just the Study of War?
Gleditsch, Nils P, Jonas Nordkvelle, and Håvard Strand. 2014. Journal of Peace Research 51, no. 2: 145-158
This text traces the development of Peace Research from its origins with Johan Galtung and the Journal of Peace Research to its split from post-WWII International Relations. A key idea emphasized throughout the article is the major theoretical and methodological difference between Peace Resarch and fields such as Conflict Studies: as opposed to viewing peace through the lens of conflict or lack thereof, Galtung’s works emphasized the importance of tackling violence in its broader sense to include acts of discrimination, inequality, and marginalization, a notable departure from “traditional” academic studies of peace.