Interpretations of Peace in History and Culture

WOLFGANG DIETRICH holds the UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and is the program director of the MA Program for Peace, Development and Security and International Conflict Transformation at the same University. He is Visiting Professor at the Institute for Political Science at the University of Vienna, Austria, at the Centre for Peace and Development Studies at the University of Castellón, Spain, the University College of Oslo, Norway, and at the United Nation's Peace University in Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica. He has written almost 200 books and articles, and his work has been published in five languages.

'Wolfgang Dietrich is the foremost thinker in the field of peace. His original contributions identify the cultural content of the concept of peace and what it means for different peoples and traditions. In this book, he reclaims old traditions while introducing solid intellectual novelties. It is a must read for any one interested in peace.' Gustavo Esteva, Rector Emeritus, Universidad de la Tierra, Mexico 'Wolfgang Dietrich seamlessly moves across disciplines of thought religious, sociological, political and philosophical to identify the interdependence of 'peaces'. Particularly compelling is his deep commitment to develop ideas by drawing on a wide range of authors and perspectives rarely found in peace and conflict studies.' John Paul Lederach, Professor of International Peacebuilding, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame, France 'Dietrich's book brings a fresh air to Peace Research by helping to understand peaces as energies.' Vicent Martinez Guzman, Director of the UNESCO Chair of Philosophy for Peace, Universitat Jaume I, Spain 'Dietrich has left no area of the history of human ideas unexplored, from mythologies, to philosophies, to diverse explorations of the psyche, to our interior world of the centres of consciousness, to the realization of ever-pure atman as part of a total fabric of peace. It is not the facts alone but their interconnectivity here that serves as guidance for establishing a comprehensive understanding of peace(s).' Swami Veda Bharati, Spiritual Director of Sadhana Mandir, India

• Introduction Energetic Interpretations of Peace Moral Interpretations of Peace Modern Interpretations of Peace Postmodern Interpretations of Peace Transrational Interpretations of Peace Conclusion