Scott Gates, interviewed by Nils Petter Gleditsch ‘Strong critical theory doesn’t play a big role in peace science anymore, or even in peace studies’, states American political scientist Scott Gates in this conversation with his long-term collaborator Nils Petter Gleditsch. Scott calls for more and better recording of data disaggregated in time and space; more… Read more »
Category: PRIO Stories
Truth and Logic for a More Peaceful World: Kristian Berg Harpviken in Conversation with Arne Strand
Kristian Berg Harpviken in conversation with Arne Strand If we fast-forward to today, peace research – well, actually all research – faces a new challenge that has become more and more obvious over recent years. This is that powerful political forces do not respect the core values that serve as the foundation for research: namely, the… Read more »
On the Road to Peace: Wenche Iren Hauge Interviewed by Åshild Kolås
In my experience, successful peace processes are marked by close interaction between actors who engage with the process for a long time, know the conflict and the parties well, and gain their trust. Trust is more important than anything else. The long-term actors might be from NGOs or from civil society. They certainly don’t have… Read more »
PRIO’s State Feminist: Helga Hernes Interviewed by Kristian Berg Harpviken
Helga Hernes, interviewed by Kristian Berg Harpviken Helga Hernes coined the term ‘state feminism’ in the mid-1980s. At the time, suggesting that the state could be women friendly and an ally in the struggle for women’s rights was controversial. A decade and a half later, however, the term had become widely used. ‘State feminist’ is… Read more »
Johan Galtung at 90: His Enduring Legacy to Peace Research in Oslo
The banner on the front page of PRIO’s Annual Reports and other publications proudly reads: Independent • International • Interdisciplinary These three key points for PRIO today, as well as other important features of contemporary peace research in Oslo, can be traced back to PRIO’s founder, Johan Galtung. He turns 90 today.
Fresh Grounded Peace Research: Åshild Kolås Interviewed by Wenche Iren Hauge
Åshild Kolås, interviewed by Wenche Iren Hauge What I think we should do more of, as researchers, is to reach out to ordinary people, especially those who live in the places where we have travelled and gathered material. We used to call them informants, but they are actually participants. And then, for our research to… Read more »
The Peace Policy Maker: Dan Smith Interviewed by Stein Tønnesson
Dan Smith, interviewed by Stein Tønnesson What I want, if you look at me and my career, is on the one hand, a lot of activism, and on the other, a lot of research. The activism I have engaged in was sometimes in a movement, like the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), but mostly… Read more »
Searching the Archives for a Missing Peace: Hilde Henriksen Waage Interviewed by Henrik Syse
Hilde Henriksen Waage, interviewed by Henrik Syse Between Israel and the Palestinians there has always been a huge asymmetry of power. There is a strong party and a weak party, and this has made it impossible to achieve a genuine peace. A nice little bridge-builder like Norway cannot easily change the policies of the stronger… Read more »
Organizing for Peace: Mari Holmboe Ruge Interviewed by Kristian Berg Harpviken
Mari Holmboe Ruge, interviewed by Kristian Berg Harpviken Mari Holmboe Ruge’s life has been guided by the radical vision of a peaceful world, and a pragmatic conviction that robust organization is the key to achieving it. Mari played a critical role in PRIO’s first decade – analyzing, administering, advocating – to build the foundations for… Read more »
Non-Pacifist Philosophy in Good Faith: Henrik Syse Interviewed by Trond Bakkevig
Henrik Syse, interviewed by Trond Bakkevig My Christian faith was formed in an intellectual framework. I do not mean intellectual in the academic sense of the word. It was more that thought became part of my faith. This is what PRIO’s first philosopher, Henrik Syse, tells PRIO’s first pastor, Trond Bakkevig, in the beginning of… Read more »