The origins of “peace studies” as an academic discipline can be traced back to the end of WWII (late 1940s) and this field has been developing continuously since then. Till now there are hundreds of institutes which have adopted the Peace studies as a program.
The peace studies approach to international relations and conflict was founded by a group of scholars with backgrounds in economics and the social sciences. The backdrop of the Cold War and the political reaction against the threat of nuclear war provided a major impetus for the growth of peace studies, which many people saw as an antidote to programs in war studies, strategic studies, etc. that also developed on many campuses during this period.
In parallel, the concept of peace and disarmament studies began to develop in Scandinavia, including the establishment of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO), and related programs at a number of universities.
In addition, the controversies and political upheaval over the Vietnam War, including large scale protests centered on university campuses contributed to the growing interest in peace studies. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw a major increase in research projects and courses related to "Problems of War and Peace" and these often evolved into full-fledged degree granting peace studies programs. In other instances, the role of religious institutions in the development of academic programs was central.
Funds from philanthropic organizations such as the Institute for World Order, and the Ford and McArthur foundations were allocated to the development of courses and research programs on conflict resolution on many campuses, particularly in the U.S. This process reinforced the links
between policy, politics, and academic activities in the realm of peace studies. The trend continued during the era of negotiations between East and West during the 1970s, including the SALT agreements, as well as the Helsinki process, with its emphasis on confidence building measures (CBMs) and links between the three baskets – security, economic interdependence, and civil society (democracy, human rights, press freedom, etc.) In these processes, academic involvement in the negotiations, as well as track two meetings and publication of analyses, was very significant. Quasi-academic groups such as Pugwash provided informal and unofficial frameworks for discussions that were designed to influence public policy. At the same time, the academic community published analyses, developed theories and held conferences based on these activities.
Major universities in different countries opened such programs; some based on the discipline of international relations or international law, others in the framework of political studies or psychology and yet others as interdisciplinary programs. Over the years, these programs became independent, offering advanced degrees and hiring specialized tenured faculty. In addition, a number of journals in this field have been established, such as the Journal of Conflict Resolution, the Journal of Peace Studies, International Negotiation, US Institute of Peace (USIP), etc.
However, as the continuing conflicts in most of these areas illustrate, the field of peace studies has not been able to make much of a difference, in terms of providing empirically useful description or realistic prescription. Further, peace and conflict studies are subject to increasing criticism reflecting the impact of ideological and subjective political positions that go far beyond the boundaries of careful and value-free academic discourse
(Source: The thin line between peace education and political advocacy: Towards a code of conduct by Professor Gerald M. Steinberg).
