Preface
The
"first years" covers the period from the early planning in
1958-59 of the Section for Conflict and Peace Research at the
Institute for Social Research, in Oslo, later PRIO, till I was
appointed to the Chair in Conflict and Peace Research at the
University of Oslo in 1969 and a little beyond, as PRIO director of
research. All together about 12 years. The research was collected in
Essays
in Peace Research,
Vols I-V, published by Christian Ejlers in Copenhagen, 1975-1980, and
two volumes on Methodology;
deep gratitude to Christian for that wonderful cooperation. These 100
essays, today made available through www.transcend.org/tup,
were in some cases published later, but the strategies
are from the late 1950s, the findings
were available in the 1960s, and that also applies to the basic
implications
for peace politics. Most references for readers who want to know more
about findings and implications are to the volumes and chapters of
the Ejlers collection, like (II, 13-15) for research on nonviolence;
and some to the books in the bibliography at the end, like (see E19).
There
are also some references to two unpublished books, now available on
the website www.transcend.org: Theories
of Peace,
TOPS, from 1969, and Theories
of Conflict,
TOCS, from 1958-72-74.
Towards
the end of this book there will be a section on peace politics
practice, summarized in the book 50
Years: 100 Peace & Conflict Perspectives,
TRANSCEND University Press (www.transcend.org/tup), 2008; the 17
first cases in that book referring to this period.
A
follow-up to this little book will cover the period of the Chair
in Conflict and Peace Research
(CCPR, 1969-1977) and the Goals,
Processes and Indicators of Development
of the United Nations University (GPID, 1976-1981); also all together
about 12 years. (A second follow-up will cover 1982-93.) There were
many working papers and later on books from both, and an author might
want people to read books and articles, lock, stock and barrel. But
readers have a human right to reasonably short summaries. The books
also serve that function.
There were
many people founding those institution, but these books cover the
intellectual foundations, not bureaucratic history. They are efforts
to clarify the thinking behind that activity, in a sense essays in
the early intellectual history of peace studies, and as such might be
of some value for others launching such initiatives.
In this
book, at the appropriate places, my gratitude to the many
collaborators is expressed, as also in the books referred to above.
But there is one person outside that frame of reference I want to
thank particularly. He is no longer among us: Professor Otte Hustad,
mentioned with much love in my autobiography. His father, Tormod, was
one of Quisling's closest collaborator, a very capable minister of
labor in his government during the German occupation, condemned to 20
years of imprisonment for treason. And Otte was deprived of the right
to attend high school. That was reversed, however, and the rector
gave me the task of seeing to it that "nothing happened."
Otte
became one of my best friends, and I am deeply grateful to him for
conveying to me, upon my insistent questioning, how the war,
occupation, everything, looked from that "politically
incorrect", side. He did so beautifully, gracefully, in ways
indispensable for a mediator. If anybody taught me this, Otte was the
one.
I also
gratefully acknowledge the cooperation with Erik Ivås, my wonderful
secretary in that period, with Susan Höivik for gracious editing,
and with my good friend Antonio Rosa for preparing this manuscript
for publication.
Alfaz
del Pi, Summer 2010 Johan Galtung
