Forum on Scholarship and Peace Activism

Extract

Significantly enhanced by the debate about climate change, the relationship between knowledge production and activism, as well as forms of research that bridge activism and engagement, has been discussed intensely in disciplines that address contemporary societies.¹ In peace history, the relationship between activism and knowledge formation has always been an issue. While a comparative openness to activism has served as a reason for some to dismiss peace history as unscientific or partisan, others within the field have viewed the links to activism as an inspiration for both their scholarship and their public engagement in social movements and other forms of practical work for peace and reconciliation.

Our forum on scholarship and peace activism gives peace scholars and practitioners an opportunity to discuss the complex relationship among peace, history, and activism. Given the diversity of such a topic, this forum has been organized to highlight the multiplicity of voices rather than offering a one-size-fits-all kind of solution to how issues of peace, history, and activism fit together. It collects positions from historians and practitioners alike, younger and older, from various states and regions, with various positions on the relation of peace activism and scholarship—yet all sharing a general sympathy for engagement and organizing “for peace.”