Description: From violence and abuse within family units, to communities and regions torn apart by inter-group conflict and wars among nations, the human condition is rife with turmoil. The consequences of this seemingly perpetual strife weigh heavily on humanity, often creating feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness that only serve to breed more conflict and violence. In the face of these monumental challenges, initiatives for peace struggle to take root. Seeking effective ways to encourage these efforts, the United Nations adopted three declarations on the eve of the 21st century, including the Declaration on a Culture of Peace that broadly defines what the vision looks like and the actions necessary to build cultures of peace. Taking up this central challenge of our time, this volume of collected essays presents multiple perspectives on the critical issues of peace and conflict resolution that pervade the globe, addressing the UN's charge to develop values, attitudes, modes of behavior and ways of life conducive to the promotion of peace among individuals, groups, and nations. Bringing together scholars and practitioners from fields including education, sociology, criminology, political science, and peace studies, this work constructively engages the task of creating peace and fostering hope in a conflict-ridden world.
Brief description: Elavie Ndura-Ouedraogo is Associate Professor of Educational Transformation at George Mason University. Her publications have appeared in forums including Harvard Educational Review and Multicultural Perspectives. She co-authored 147 Tips for Teaching Peace and Reconciliation (Atwood Publishing, 2009) and co-edited Seeds of New Hope: Pan-African Peace Studies for the 21st Century (Africa World Press, 2009). Randall Amster, Professor of Peace Studies at Prescott College, received his PhD in Justice Studies from Arizona State University. He is the author of Lost in Space: The Criminalization, Globalization, and Urban Ecology of Homelessness (LFB Scholarly, 2008), and serves as Executive Director of the Peace & Justice Studies Association.