Introduction

Abstract

Abstract This introductory chapter seeks to explore how peace historians affirm that the pursuit of peace is as significant as military conflict in explaining the past. The task of historians who explore the dynamics of peacemaking is to examine how people, across time and place, have striven to create diverse cultures of peace and applied strategies for change. Such exploration reveals that people can effectively challenge a violent status quo by describing the ways that peace advocates have resisted militarism, nationalism, xenophobia, and oppression. Greater understanding of the many methods of peacemaking also provides examples of legitimate civic systems capable of reducing and preventing violent conflicts. As part of a broader, interdisciplinary inquiry, peace history evaluates efforts to cultivate practices of peace aimed at mitigating violence and preventing major state wars in an increasingly dangerous world. What is peace history? What have peace historians done so far? What are the strengths and limits of peace history, and what can it offer for the future? What is the relationship between peace history and other related fields, such as peace and conflict studies, conflict resolution, and so on? These issues are addressed from a chronological and topical approach tied to a global outlook.