Peace and conflict studies as an academic field

Abstract

Issues of peace and conflict have been a perennial concern across cultures and throughout human history. We are primarily relational beings, and our complexity naturally gives rise to conflicts. Through our relationships, conflicts, and peaces may emerge, and the transformation and realization of those derive meaning and understanding of our place in the world. The field of Peace and Conflict Studies (PCS) is fundamentally a transdisciplinary field, which draws from a wide range of academic disciplines such as political science, sociology, history, anthropology, contemplative traditions, theology, psychology, philosophy, and other fields, theoretical approaches, and lessons learned through practice. Through the application of research, education, and practice, PCS is concerned with the investigation into the nature of conflicts, violence, identity, security, power and training skills, and methods for applying it to the transformation of any conflictive processes to lead to a dynamic and inclusive peace.

As an academic discipline, the field of PCS is less than 100 years old and remains in a constant state of development. The ever-changing dynamics of the complexities of any conflict and the concerns of those who wish to transform it continue to shape and refine the field. This interview is a brief overview of some of the key trends that have shaped the development of the field of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Peace and Conflict Studies is a discourse and practice that has become increasingly widespread in its scope and nuanced in its depth, as more disciplines have come to shape it. It is important to note that the development of the field of PCS has not occurred linearly with certain trends replacing previous conceptions, but instead, the perspectives and experiences that have shaped the fields of theory and practice overlap and coexist like threads in a loom. The development of PCS can be understood through large-scale shifts in understanding the nature and causes of conflict, the means to address it, and the primary actors responsible for addressing conflict.

From its deep history, PCS has been shaped by worldviews rooted in observations of the natural world and the understanding of human’s place in it. Many of the oldest words for peace are rooted in an energetic worldview that holds fertility as the primary source of peace and well-being (Dietrich, 2019). The understanding of peace maintained in many traditional cultures, and other ancient traditions maintains a perspective of a dynamic harmony between the natural world and humans. This interview seeks to provide an overview of PCS as an academic field as well to bring some reflections on peace and conflict studies.

Professor Dr. Wolfgang Dietrich is our noble guest for this valuable interview, which aims to present and clarify important points in the academic field of Peace and Conflict Studies. It should be noted that Professor Dietrich is one of the most renowned academics in the field and among his vast contributions, the Many Peaces theory stands out, which is one of the most recent developments in the field of PCS, based on Transrational Peace Philosophy (Dietrich, 2019), which can be seen as an important epistemological twist on the field.

Dietrich holds dual PhDs in History and Literature and Law from Innsbruck University, where he began his tenure as an Adjunct Professor in 1990 and was honored with the title of Honorary Professor in 2015. During his career at Innsbruck University, he served as the Director of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences and led the Master´s Program in Peace, Development, Security, and International Conflict Transformation. From 2008 to 2023, he held the position of UNESCO Chairholder in Peace Studies and was a member of the Austrian UNESCO Commission throughout that period.

Dietrich also had the opportunity to share his expertise as a visiting professor at several esteemed institutions, including the Institute of Political Science at the University of Vienna, the Center for Peace and Development Studies at the University of Castellón in Spain, at the United Nations University for Peace (UPEACE) in Colón, Costa Rica and Peace Studies and Conflict Transformation program in Brazil (Paz & Mente). His deep commitment to peace research and conflict transformation is further underscored by his extensive fieldwork in Central America during the 1980s, as well as research conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean, India, East Africa, and Southeast Asia throughout the 1990s. He served as the President of the Austrian section of Amnesty International from 1989 to 1991 and directed the European Peace University from 1995 to 1998. Additionally, he was the Academic Director of the Austrian Institute for Latin America from 1995 to 2007 before focusing entirely on developing the Innsbruck School of Peace Studies, from which he retired in 2021.

Given his distinguished career and substantial contributions to the field, Dietrich is a remarkable guest for this interview. We conducted the interview online through email exchanges in July 2024, and we are profoundly grateful for his generosity and the precision of his responses.