The Pacifist Impulse In Historical Perspective

This volume of twenty-three essays appears in recognition of the emergence of peace history as a relatively new and coherent field of learning. ... these essays were presented at an international conference "The Pacifist Impulse in Historical Perspective". ... Together the essays in this book explore the ideas and activities of persons and groups who, for two millennia, have rejected war and urged non-violent means of settling conflicts

This volume examines the possibility – or need – of a revitalization of pacifism as a world-political practice. It takes as its point of departure the observation that although ‘just war thinking’ has long been dominant in Western debates about war and peace, recent events have served to temper enthusiasm about the doctrine. Pacifism has been much less prominent a stance in recent decades, but there is the impression that it may be staging a return. Just war thinking has to a large extent failed. Outright bellicism remains as undesirable as ever. Pacifism presents itself again as a possible alternative. Once upon a time the peace movement was popular, and pacifism with it. Pacifism appealed to people. It stirred hearts and minds. It inspired political action and institutional designs. This volume examines whether pacifism can claim its ground again and how it should be redefined in light of today’s world-political circumstances.

"The Oxford Handbook of Peace History uniquely explores the distinctive dynamics of peacemaking across time and place, and analyzing how past and present societies have created diverse cultures of peace and applied strategies for peaceful change. The analysis draws upon the expertise of many well-respected and distinguished scholars from disciplines such as anthropology, economics, history, international relations, journalism, peace studies, sociology, and theology. This work is divided into six parts. The first three sections address the chronological sweep of peace history from the Ancient Egyptians to the present while the last three cover biographical profiles of peace advocates, key issues in peace history, and the future of peace history. A central theme throughout is that the quest for peace is far more than the absence of war or the pursuit of social justice ideals. Students and scholars, alike, will appreciate that this work examines the field of peace history from an international perspective and expands analysis beyond traditional Eurocentric frameworks. This volume also goes far beyond previously published handbooks and anthologies in answering what are the strengths and limits of peace history as a discipline, and what can it offer for the future. It also has the unique features of a state-of-the-field introduction with a detailed treatment of peace history historiography and a chapter written by a noted archivist in the field that provides a comprehensive list of peace research resources. It is a work ably suited applicable for classrooms and scholarly bookshelves"--

This study examines the traditional theory of just war in the light of modern principles of international law relating to the prohibition on the use of force repeatedly stressed by UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) resolutions and accepted by the ICJ (International Court of Justice). The author expresses doubts as to whether actions by some permanent members of the Security Council starting from September 1996 until April 2003, in the Balkans and the Persian Gulf, are legitimate under the just war theory, or any other rules of international law, and analyses in detail the claims made by the allied powers to justify their actions. The book also examines the significance of the transformation in the limitation and prohibition of the use of force in the contemporary legal system, by studying the origin of those tenets and their reflection in both the national laws of individual states and the international laws of armed conflict.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's perplexing and controversial shift from admitted pacifism to tyrannicide has been the source of scholarly and popular inspiration and criticism. How could an admitted Christian pacifist be involved in a plot to assassinate a political figure? Is there a way to understand and explain this phenomenon comprehensive enough to encompass all relevant data? One that takes into account the nuances of Bonhoeffer's theology and all of the elements of his complex historical and personal contexts? This study attempts to offer an explanation by linking Bonhoeffer's political thinking and action with his understanding of the church-world relationship and by evaluating the changes in that thought-action dyad as his life progressed. What emerges is a portrait of a bold and visionary thinker and political agent whose church-world theology, while discontinuous, is consistent enough to be authentic and yet flexible enough to meet the extraordinary challenges presented by Nazism and its intrusion into the churches. Gides suggests that it is actually Bonhoeffer's malleable church-world thinking that ultimately distinguishes him from his theological and ecclesial contemporaries and even from the mass of German church persons and citizenry; it allowed him to confront evil by reaching beyond the constraints of traditional Lutheran thinking.

Here is a volume that is as big and as varied as the nation it portrays. With over 1,400 entries written by some 900 historians and other scholars, it illuminates not only America's political, diplomatic, and military history, but also social, cultural, and intellectual trends; science, technology, and medicine; the arts; and religion. Here are the familiar political heroes, from George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, to Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. But here, too, are scientists, writers, radicals, sports figures, and religious leaders, with incisive portraits of such varied individuals as Thomas Edison and Eli Whitney, Babe Ruth and Muhammed Ali, Black Elk and Crazy Horse, Margaret Fuller, Emma Goldman, and Marian Anderson, even Al Capone and Jesse James. The Companion illuminates events that have shaped the nation (the Great Awakening, Bunker Hill, Wounded Knee, the Vietnam War); major Supreme Court decisions (Marbury v. Madison, Roe v. Wade); landmark legislation (the Fugitive Slave Law, the Pure Food and Drug Act); social movements (Suffrage, Civil Rights); influential books (The Jungle, Uncle Tom's Cabin); ideologies (conservatism, liberalism, Social Darwinism); even natural disasters and iconic sites (the Chicago Fire, the Johnstown Flood, Niagara Falls, the Lincoln Memorial). Here too is the nation's social and cultural history, from Films, Football, and the 4-H Club, to Immigration, Courtship and Dating, Marriage and Divorce, and Death and Dying. Extensive multi-part entries cover such key topics as the Civil War, Indian History and Culture, Slavery, and the Federal Government. A new volume for a new century, The Oxford Companion to United States History covers everything from Jamestown and the Puritans to the Human Genome Project and the Internet--from Columbus to Clinton. Written in clear, graceful prose for researchers, browsers, and general readers alike, this is the volume that addresses the totality of the American experience, its triumphs and heroes as well as its tragedies and darker moments.

This timely book traces ideas of pacifism in English literature, particularly poetry. Early chapters, drawing on religious and secular traditions, provide intellectual contexts. There follows a chronological analysis of literature which rejects war and celebrates peace, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest, among both philosophers, legal scholars, and military experts, on the ethics of war. Due in part due to post 9/11 events, this resurgence is also due to a growing theoretical sophistication among scholars in this area. Recently there has been very influential work published on the justificaton of killing in self-defense and war, and the topic of the ethics of war is now more important than ever as a discrete field. The 28 commissioned chapters in this Handbook will present a comprehensive overview of the field as well as make significant and novel contributions, and collectively they will set the terms of the debate for the next decade. Lazar and Frowe will invite the leading scholars in the field to write on topics that are new to them, making the volume a compilation of fresh ideas rather than a rehash of earlier work. The volume will be dicided into five sections: Method, History, Resort, Conduct, and Aftermath. The contributors will be a mix of junior and senior figures, and will include well known scholars like Michael Walzer, Jeff McMahan, and David Rodin.