Peace History Research in the United States: Its Origins, Trends, and Future

Abstract

Peace history in the United States began in the interwar period under the leadership of U.S. intellectual historian Merle Curti. It further developed after World War II due to the emergence of interdisciplinary peace studies. Social issues like the nuclear arms race and the Civil Rights Movement led to the establishment of the Conference on Peace Research in History (CPRH) in 1964, broadening the scope of peace history research.

In the late 1970s, peace history research reached an inflection point due to factors such as the end of the Vietnam War and détente between the US and the Soviet Union. While many female researchers left the field of peace history, new developments emerged, including a convergence with military and diplomatic history and the internationalization of the field.

Currently, American peace history research faces three challenges: the balance between interdisciplinarity and specialization, the focus on the West versus non-Western perspectives, and the relationship between research and activism. While early peace history research aimed to introduce interdisciplinary peace studies into history, it has since then drifted away from social sciences as collaboration with other historical fields has progressed. Moreover, research has primarily focused on U.S. history, with limited international scope. Finally, the relationship with social movements like the peace movement has also changed, and the future role of peace history research is being questioned as H-PAD takes the lead in activism.