Charles F. Howlett

‘Duck and cover’: the evolution of peace education at the beginning of the nuclear age

This article will provide an historical analysis of the various trends within the field of peace education/peace studies during the beginning of the nuclear age. It will provide an overview of how peace education grew from noted grassroots organizations to school-based programs and in academic societies devoted to peace education and conflict resolution. The historical record of the past 50 years or so provides a progression of peace education/peace studies from an antidote to the science of war to a comprehensive examination of the causes of violence and related strategies for peace. Furthermore, this analysis offers a thorough examination of the evolution of peace ideology after the World War II when weapons of mass destruction presented a direct threat to humankind’s existence. While peace efforts have always been a part of American history, the burgeoning field of peace education/peace studies gained academic credibility as a direct result of developing atomic and nuclear weapons. To a great extent, we are still living in the first nuclear age and attempts to oppose war and promote social justice inside and outside schoolhouse gates should be understood through the lens of history.

John Dewey: A Pragmatist’s Search for Peace in the Aftermath of Total War

Disillusioned and dismayed at the failure of Wilsonian progressive ideals supporting World War I, John Dewey converted his energies toward achieving a peaceful democratic world order. He became actively involved in the 1920s Outlawry of War crusade, which sought to outlaw war as an instrument of national policy. Although the crusade culminated with the signing of the 1928 Pact of Paris, Dewey was dismayed that it did not fulfill his own progressive hopes for full citizen participation as part of a global democratic mandate. Still, Dewey continued to press for public engagement on behalf of world peace as the 1930s witnessed the rise of military dictatorships in Europe and the Far East. Dewey, in terms of foreign policy issues, tied his pragmatic philosophy to progressive ideals on behalf of internationalism and world peace between the world wars.

Acts of Conscience: Christian Nonviolence and Modern American Democracy (review)

out name after name, with little or no identification, sometimes resulting in sheer confusion. On a single page (91), he has Thomas Holme, an English Friend, and his wife marching naked through English streets and then with no explanation presents Holme complaining of excess fervor and wild singing among Quakers. Occasionally, Allen is wrong: contrary to what he writes on page 160, Fox did want women to share in the administration of meetings. Allen’s book would have been more compelling without such problems, true, but it will long remain a fine introduction; others undoubtedly will flesh out his pioneering research.