Social Movement Ties and the Effort to Institutionalize Peace/Conflict Studies as a Legitimate Field
Research Poster Social & Behavioral Sciences 2025 Graduate ExhibitionPresentation by Elise Wolff
Exhibition Number 141
Abstract
This project part of my dissertation investigates the history and sociology of movement-related academic fields in the US. Paralleling the rise of interdisciplinary interest at mid-century, these fields grew out of the political upheaval and curricular reform of the 1960s and early 1970s that demanded higher education be 'relevant' to students. Yet analyses of these fields have typically only considered 'identity' fields like ethnic studies and women's studies recognized across many schools today. Drawing on qualitative and historical methods, this research project turns attention to the overlooked field of peace/conflict studies from its origins after World War II through the present. Findings point to the key role of non-students and religious actors in developing and sustaining it.
Importance
Sociological work on movement-related fields has typically focused on identity movements. Here I compare and contrast this research and related assumptions about these fields by utilizing the overlooked case of the smaller field of peace/conflict studies. Overall, this work sheds light on the unique possibilities for significant social and political change via and within the institution of the university. This includes certain difficulties and tensions along with potentials for intellectual/educational movements in accomplishing their goals.