Military Review English Edition May-June 2014 | Page 54

The Field of Peace and Conflict
Studies

As an academic field of study, peace and conflict
studies is over 50 years old. The field has an active
base of scholars, a growing body of disciplinary
literature, an established curriculum, and a pedagogical tradition that includes classroom teaching,
experiential learning, internships, and international
study. Peace and conflict scholars and educators
seek to understand the causes of conflict. They
examine ways to prevent and transform conflict
situations. They seek to build peaceful and just
social systems and societies. They achieve these
goals by educating specialists and engaging with
policymakers and the broader community of governmental and nongovernmental organizations
in creating the context for nonviolent conflict
management. Peace and conflict studies primarily
engages a practice-centered form of scholarship,
with academics and students actively involved in
numerous forms of fieldwork.
Peace science and peace research are rapidly
growing fields of study oriented toward conflict
management, peace building, and developing
appropriate interventions. Peace and conflict
scholars are united not by ideology or political
perspective, but by a commitment to understanding
the causes of violent conflict and finding effective
and sustainable nonviolent solutions to world problems. Peace and conflict studies curricula cover
a wide range of issues related to peace, conflict,
violence, justice, inequality, social change, and
human rights. The field of study and practice is now
applied at all levels of conflict from interpersonal to
global.2 As an emerging field of study and practice,
the shape and terminology of the discipline have
expanded and transitioned from an amateurish to a
professional framework. In fact, many practitioners
now believe that conflict is not resolved; rather, it
is transformed as part of a creative process. As a
result, conflict transformation has moved forward
as the core construct shaping the field.3
Formal conflict management as part of a deliberate peace development strategy can be traced to
the Kingdom of Mari in 180