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SVF-3021 Integrated Peace & Conflict Studies
Fall - 2011
Coordinator: Percy Oware - Centre for Peace Studies (CPS), University of Tromsø (UiT)
Lecturer: Vidar Vambheim – Department of Education, UiT.
Stuart Robinson – Department of Sociology, Political Science and Community Planning, UiT.
Magne Frostad – Faculty of Law, UiT.
Tor Dahl-Eriksen – Department Sociology, Political Science and Community Planning, UiT.
Christine Smith-Simonsen – Department of History and Religious Studies, UiT.
Stian Bones – Department of History and Religious Studies, UiT.
Objective: This course aims at providing students with an introduction to the field of peace and conflict studies. It seeks to illuminate key epistemological issues and problems connected with peace research in the contemporary global order. This involves providing students with the theoretical approaches and historical background needed for the understanding of issues relating to conflict, violence and peace.
Content
SVF-3021 Integrated Peace Studies is divided in two components: "Introduction to Peace Studies" and "The Western Global Order".
Introduction to Peace Studies: This section gives a broad introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies as a distinct field of study. Emphasis will be on what it is or should be - whether it is mainly about academic research, policy-making or a mixture of theory and practice, whether it has a specific epistemology and methodology, and the extent to which it is interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary or cross-disciplinary.
The Western Global Order: This second part of the course is meant as a contextualisation of Peace and Conflict Studies in the contemporary global society. Knowledge production and learning always occur in a particular context. It is thus important for peace students to be knowledgeable about the global governance system and its defining role in approaches to conflict resolution or peace building. The section then highlights various perspectives on the Western Global Order and its multifarious structures.
These structures are understood to be: (i) cultural - in the sense of a tradition of thought, and (ii) institutional - in the form of prevailing organisations and legal orders. The study of these structures involves a brief review of developments in Western intellectual traditions and the history of certain Western economic, social, and political orders.
The lectures will start by broadly addressing liberal ideas regarding (i) the relationship between the individual and the state; (ii) inter-state relations, including the notion of an international society; and (iii) the prospects for peace and harmony in global terms. All the discussions will be situated within the historical development of the state or a modern system of sovereign nation-states. Equal attention will be given to the modern capitalist economy, focusing on the perspectives of liberal and Marxist theories of political economy. This theoretical and historical approach is intended to serve as a basis for more in-depth discussion of the subsequent case studies.
Students will be challenged to relate the two components of the course. This implies an understanding of how aspects of the Western intellectual traditions and their historical developments still influence contemporary challenges to manage violent conflicts, avoid war and build peace.
Structure
I. Introduction to Peace Studies
(i) Peace Studies: An Applied Science?
(ii) Violence and Peace in the 21st Century: Background, Trends, and Issues
(iii) Violence – Direct/Indirect & Structural/Cultural; Peace – Positive and Negative
(iv) Emergent Conflicts and Peaceful Change
(v) Civilizations and Peace
(vi) Summary: Approaches to Peace
II. Western Global Order
A) Sovereignty and the State in Western Social and Political Thought
(i) Introduction and the Rise of the Early Modern State
(ii) The Modern State and Global Challenges
B) Institutional Structures
The Political Economic Order
(i) Introduction to Political Economy
(ii) Liberal Perspectives
(iii) Marxist Perspectives and Neo-Marxist Perspectives
(iv) Theoretical Approaches: Realism and Liberalism
Perspectives on the Global Order
(v) Peace and the Legal System
(vi) Peaceful Dispute Settlement in International Law
(vii) International Law and Human Rights
(viii) The State, the Nation, the Nation-State and Nation Building
(ix) The Society of States
C) Case Studies
Conditions of Conflict Violence and War
(i) Social Conflicts and Revolutions in a Historical Perspective
(ii) Conditions of War in Historical Perspectives: The Peace of Versailles 1919
(iii) De/colonisation, Conflict and War: The Eritrean-Ethiopian War, 1998-2000
Conditions of Peace: The Case of Arctic Europe
(iv) Arctic Europe – Prior to the Russian Revolution, Focusing on Norway and Russia
(v) Arctic Europe – Since the Russian Revolution
Summary and Conclusions
Course Texts
All the textbooks and their relevant pages are listed below. Some of these books will also be relevant for the other required courses. The precise extracts and how they fit into the curriculum are elaborated further under the Lecture Outline (see below). These textbooks (in alphabetical order) are complemented by electronic articles and course-packages as explained under Further Required Readings (and also listed under Lecture Outline). Most of the textbooks could be obtained from the university library or bookshop – Akademisk Kvarter.
Barone, C. (1985) Marxist Thought on Imperialism: Survey and Critique. New York: M.E. Shapre.
Hobbes, T. (1988) Leviathan. London: Penguin.
Locke, J. (1980) Second Treatise of Government. Indianapolis: Hacket Publishing.
Miall, H. (2007) Emergent Conflict and Peaceful Change. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Miall, H., Ramsbotham, O. and Woodhouse, T. (2005) Contemporary Conflict Resolution. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Negash, T. and Tronvoll, K. (2000) Brothers at War: Making Sense of the EritreanEthiopian War. Oxford: James Currey Press.
Nye, J. Jr. (2000) Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History. New York: Longman.
Stilwell, F. (2006) Political Economy: The Contest of Economic Ideas. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Webel, C. and Galtung, J. (2009) Handbook of Peace and Conflict Studies. London: Francis & Taylor Ltd .
Course packages – all readings marked *C*
Internet articles – all readings marked *E*
Individual-prints-outs – all readings marked *O*
Further Required Readings
The selections from the above texts are listed under Lecture Outline, together with the required articles and chapters. Those marked *E* are available for download from pc’s connected to the university system at the internet addresses listed in the accompanying footnotes. Materials marked *C* are part of the course-packages (compendia). These compendia will be available at the Akademisk Kvarter (University Bookshop). Finally, items marked *O * are print-outs that will be available on Fronter (https://fronter.com/uit/) or at the CPS Library.
Lecture Outline
Lectures are generally two hours in duration, unless otherwise stated. They are prefixed by a roman numeral and followed by the name of the lecturer.
I. Introduction to Peace Studies
Introduction to Peace Studies: These lecture series intend to present an overview of Peace and Conflict Studies, with emphasis on the MPCT programme. The subject matter of peace studies is presented as a conversation between several academic disciplines. Key issues such as the scope and goal of the discipline, understandings of the concepts of “violence” and “peace”, and approaches to handling conflicts are all addressed.
Methodological challenges related to peace studies as applied studies will be discussed, with a special focus on problems connected to the ‘demarcation line’ between theory and practice. The purpose of this component is to help students develop a balanced understanding of what it means to acquire, and generate knowledge which can contribute to peace-building.
(i) Peace Studies: An Applied Science?
- Oware
This lecture will address the distinct character of peace studies as a discipline engaging simultaneously with varying theoretical and methodological frameworks, and understandings of policy relevance. It is this reliance on and application of diverse disciplinary insights that account for the distinctiveness of the study area. But, what are the strengths and weaknesses of such disciplinary partnerships in research and practice? What challenges are associated with the ‘demarcation line’ between theoretical and practical knowledge, and research and practice?
Required Readings:
*E[1]* Dugan, M. (1989) “Peace Studies at the Graduate Level” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 504 pp.72-79 (7)
*E[2]* Harris, J. (2002) “The case of cross-disciplinary approaches in international development” World Development, vol. 30, No. 3 pp. 487-496 (9)
*E[3]* Katz, N. (1989) “Conflict Resolution and peace Studies” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 504 pp.14-21 (7)
*E[4]* Woolcock, M. (2007) “Higher education, policy schools and development studies: what should master’s degree students be taught? Journal of International Development, 19: 55-73 (18)
*C* Lawler, P. (2008) “Peace Studies”, in Williams, P. (ed.) Security Studies. An Introduction. London: Routledge. pp 73-88 (15)
Recommended Readings:
Webel, C. and Galtung, J. (2007) Handbook of Peace and Conflict Studies. London: Routledge
(ii) War, Violence, Non-violence, Peace: Epistemological approaches and problems of definition. :
- Vambheim
When the UN was established in 1945, the nations of the world pledged ‘to save succeeding generations from the scourges of war.’ But the success of the UN (or Humanity) in this endeavour, arguably depends upon the following:
1) How we understand “peace” (or: what is peace?)
2) The outcomes of peace-building efforts (or: the measurement of results).
The above issues underlie lecture ii and iii.
The concept of peace will be explored with reference to its opposites, including the metaphysical and scientific approaches. Specific emphasis will be placed on Galtung’s typology of peace/violence and systematisation of peace and conflict studies.
The problem of definition, delimitation and focus in peace studies will be addressed: Is peace studies = War studies? Should peace studies be about violence, should we delimit the subject to war and peace (absence of war), and leave (civil) violence, homicides etc. in peace time out? Or should peace studies disregard war and violence, and concentrate on constructive matters?
We shall also discuss how knowledge concerning peace and violence is influenced, and partly shaped by the concepts we choose and how we define them. Examples of such concepts are war, violence, non-violence, conflict, security, terror and peace.
Required Readings:
Webel, C. and Galtung, J. (eds.) (2009) Handbook of Peace and Conflict Studies. London:
Routledge, ch. 1, pp. 3-21 (19 pp.)
*C* Aronson, E. (2007) “Human Aggression”, in The Social Animal. New York: Worth Publishing. pp. 253-299 (47 p.)
*C* Galtung, J. (1996) Peace by Peaceful Means: Peace and Conflict, Development and Civilization. London: Sage Publication. pp. 196-210 (pp.15)
Recommended Readings:
Webel, C. and Galtung, J. (eds.) (2009) Handbook of Peace and Conflict Studies. London:
Routledge. Parts 2, 4 and 5(ch. 9-13 and 19-25), pp. 123-208 and 299-399).
The Global Peace Index: http://www.visionofhumanity.org/
The Human Development Report http://hdr.undp.org
Miall, H. (2007) Emergent Conflict and Peaceful Change. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Ch.1, pp. 1-18. (pp.18)
Robarchek, C. (1989) “Hobbesian and Rousseauan Images of Man: Autonomy and Individualism in a Peaceful Society”, in Howell, Signe et al. (ed.) Societies at Peace London: Rutledge. Pp. 31-44 (pp.14)
Barash, David (ed.)(2000) Approaches to Peace. New York: Oxford University Press. Pp. 1-60 (pp. 60).
(iii) War and violence: Historical Trends and Explanations
-Vambheim
From a discussion of how peace can be understood, defined and “found”, we shall proceed to global trends in the development of war/violence and peace/ non-violence. These discussions will revolve around three questions: 1) what do we know (and what do we not know) about trends in war and violence? 2) How do we know what we know? 3) How do we explain the changes in levels of war and violence?
Recent research on scale of war/ violence and explanations will be presented, explanations proposed, and emerging conceptual and epistemological questions too will be addressed in lecture (ii)
Required Readings:
*C* Eisner, M. (2003) “The long-term Development of Violence: Empirical Findings and Theoretical Approaches to Interpretation” in Heitmeyer, W. and Hagan, J (eds.) International Handbook of Violence Research. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic pp. 41-59.
*C* Lindner, E. (2006) Making Enemies: Humiliation and International Conflict. London: Praeger Security international. ch 1, pp. 3-10 (8 p.)
*E* Mack, A. (2005) “Part I: The changing face of global violence”. Human Security Report. (pp. 10). Vancouver: Human Security Centre.
(download at: http://www.humansecurityreport.info/HSR2005_PDF/Part1.pdf )
Recommended Readings:
Koenigsberg, R. (20009) Nations Have the Right to Kill: Hitler, The Holocaust and War. New
York: Library of Social Science
*C* Lindner, E. (2006) Making Enemies: Humiliation and International Conflict. London: Praeger Security international.
Mack, A. (2005) “Part I: The changing face of global violence” Human Security Report pp.15-59 (pp. 45). Vancouver: Human Security Centre. (download at: http://www.humansecurityreport.info/HSR2005_PDF/Part1.pdf )
(iv) Conflict and Peace. Emergent conflict and Peaceful Change I
–Vambheim
If conflict is a threat to security, it is important to avert, control and regulate it. If conflict is unavoidable and conflict implies violence, the best we can hope for is a state of negative peace – i.e. the control, regulation and even suppression of risks and dangerous forces. Based on Miall’s evolutionary conflict theory and historical examples, we will discuss how conflict can emerge from structural tensions and norms, as well as from bad decisions. How conflicts may develop into a clash of interests (violence) and conflict containment, prevention/ forestalling strategies will all be broadly explored in relation to realism in Peace Studies. This will lead to a discussion of sustainable peace – i.e. the focus of the next section or part (v).
Required Readings:
Miall, H. (2007) Emergent Conflict and Peaceful Change. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Ch. 2 and 5, pp.19-65 and 95-120 (pp. 72)
Webel, C. and Galtung, J. (2009). Handbook of Peace and Conflict Studies. USA-Canada: Routledge, ch. 13, pp. 187-205 (19 p.).
Recommended Readings:
Galtung, J. (1996) Peace by Peaceful Means: Peace and Conflict, Development and Civilization PRIO/ Sage, pp. 70-88 (pp.19)
Walzer, Michael (2000) Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations. London: Basic Books. Ch. 1, pp. 3-20 (pp.18).
Barash, D. (ed.) (2000) Approaches to Peace. New York: Oxford University Press. Ch. 2: “Building Negative Peace”, pp. 61-125 (pp.65)
Pfetsch, F. and Rohloff, C. (2000) National and International Conflicts, 1945-1995: New Empirical and Theoretical Approaches. London: Routledge. Ch. 1: “Introduction” pp. 1-24 and Ch. 2: “Methodology” pp. 25-61 (pp.61)