Conflict is inevitable. Violence is not. Peacebuilding is an essential element and precondition for transforming war-ridden and violent societies towards constructive ways of conflict resolution. Peacebuilding requires processes, attitudes and capabilities on the individual, societal and institutional level. This volume approaches the issues from a special perspective. It presents the essence of lectures given at University of Hamburg by experts from different academic fields – political science, psychology, theology, sociology, anthropology and the arts. The lectures aimed at enhancing the understanding of students in the areas of conflict dynamics, peace processes and preventive work based on case studies, like the German peace movement in the 1980s, the peace process in Northern Ireland, trauma rehabilitation work with former child soldiers and the concept and practice of restorative justice, to name a few. The volume thus goes beyond an understanding of peacebuilding which focusses on nation and institution building.
