''Making Peace'' is a book by the British

peace studies Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

scholar

Adam Curle Charles Thomas William Curle (4 July 1916 – 28 September 2006), better known as Adam Curle, was a British academic, known for his work in social psychology, pedagogy, development studies and peace studies. After holding posts at the Unive ...

, first published in 1971.

Overview

''Making Peace'' was written during a

sabbatical A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work. The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of ''shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to ...

year Curle spent at the Richardson Institute in 1969–70. The book applies ideas from

to Curle's own experiences, explores the definition of

peacemaking Peacemaking is practical conflict transformation focused upon establishing equitable power relationships robust enough to forestall future conflict, often including the establishment of means of agreeing on ethical decisions within a community, ...

and considers what constitute peaceful and non-peaceful relationships and what cause them. Curle draws on an approach associated with the

Tavistock Institute of Human Relations The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations is a British not-for-profit organisation that applies social science to contemporary issues and problems. It was initiated in 1946, when it developed from the Tavistock Clinic, and was formally establ ...

during Curle's time there, which combined elements of

psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...

with aspects of typological psychology. Curle defines peacemaking as the process of transforming human relationships from unpeaceful forms to peaceful ones. The first part of the book presents case studies of unpeaceful relationships and peacemaking processes, while the second part outlines aspects of peacemaking. The case studies range from

interpersonal relationship The concept of interpersonal relationship involves social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people. Interpersonal relationships vary in their degree of intimacy or self-disclosure, but also in their duration, in t ...

s between spouses to civil and international wars. Part of the book concentrates on

conciliation Conciliation is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process whereby the parties to a dispute use a conciliator, who meets with the parties both separately and together in an attempt to resolve their differences. They do this by lowering t ...

and mediation, skills Curle saw as insufficiently understood and developed, and draws on social and

humanistic psychology Humanistic psychology is a psychological perspective that arose in the mid-20th century in answer to two theories: Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory and B. F. Skinner's behaviorism. Thus, Abraham Maslow established the need for a "third force ...

. Elsewhere Curle emphasises the role of development in creating

positive peace Peace and conflict studies is a social science field that identifies and analyzes violent and nonviolent behaviours as well as the structural mechanisms attending conflicts (including social conflicts), with a view towards understanding those pro ...

. He describes

private diplomacy Track II diplomacy or "backchannel diplomacy" is the practice of "non-governmental, informal and unofficial contacts and activities between private citizens or groups of individuals, sometimes called ' non-state actors. It contrasts with track I di ...

as a practice distinguished by "its absolute separation from political interest and hence its potentiality to permit an open and relaxed relationship between human beings." In ''Making Peace'' Curle outlines an "objectivist" theory of conflict, according to which conflicts can exist even when the parties in conflict are unaware of them (as opposed to "subjectivists" who believe a conflict must be perceived as such by the participants in order to exist). He argues that conflicts can exist regardless of their participants' conscious desires when the relationships in which they are engaged are unpeaceful or exploitative, and that observers' assessments of situations as peaceful or conflictual are ultimately value-driven and subjective.

Critical reception

Christopher Mitchell described the book as "the clearest (and in many senses the most honest) exposition of the objectivist position" in peace studies. Reviewing the book in ''

Social Science Quarterly ''Social Science Quarterly'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Southwestern Social Science Association. The journal covers political science, sociology, economics, history, social wo ...

'', Larry D. Adams described Curle's practical rather than scholarly approach as the book's greatest strength or weakness, depending on the reader's disposition, and suggested that policymakers and non-experts would be more likely to find the book interesting social scientists. Grady H. Nunn, reviewing it in ''

The Journal of Politics ''The Journal of Politics'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal of political science established in 1939 and published quarterly (February, May, August and November) by University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Southern Political Science Associ ...

'', described the book's scope as "awesomely unconventional". In his review in ''

International Affairs International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

'',

Michael Banton Michael Parker Banton CMG, FRAI (8 September 1926 – 22 May 2018) was a British social scientist, known primarily for his publications on racial and ethnic relations. He was also the first editor of ''Sociology'' (1966-1969). Academic contribu ...

described the book as unduly idealistic and "too personal" to generate in the reader "the kind of theoretical understanding which, by its ability to generate good hypotheses, stimulates self-sustaining advance." Tom Woodhouse described the book's "focus on relationships as the subject of peace" as that "which above all distinguishes and characterises" Curle's work.

Impact

''Making Peace'' contributed to the emergence of the field of

and established Curle as a leading figure in the field. The book's approach informed the path later taken by the Department of Peace Studies at the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, bu ...

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * {{refend 1971 books Peace and conflict studies