Description
‘For those who did not have the good fortune to know Adam, this book demonstrates how he engaged with and contributed to the well-being of others through education and peacemaking. It also demonstrates how Adam’s own personal and political relationships enriched and enlivened his own deep self-awareness. Underpinning all the narratives lies Adam’s central truth, which is that peacemaking is about understanding that things which seem apart are really part of an interdependent whole.’
—Professor Kevin P Clements, Chair and Director, The National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago, New Zealand
Adam Curle’s pioneering work as founding Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University was far more significant in the peace studies field than is generally recognised. Even though his ideas were way ahead of his time, they have not been adequately taught and understood – partly because of the dominance of realist approaches to political science and partly because his writings are not now easily available. This book captures his core contributions in an accessible, edited form so that the breadth of his work can be introduced to a broader audience. It offers unique insights into the spiritual and external dimensions of making peace, and includes some striking personal poems from Adam himself.
Lederach speaks of “remembering forward”. Adam Curle possessed a wholeness of perception that transcended his own era. This collection not only honours him, but also brings his thinking to a new generation, both specialist and general readers alike. Curle has much to teach us in our own troubled times.
Clive Barrett in Resurgence magazine
Contents
- Adam’s Story: Peace Educator and Peacemaker;
- Part 1: Making Peace, Peaceful and Unpeaceful Relationships, the Practice of Peacemaking, Mystics and Militants, Changing Awareness Levels and makers of Peace and Violence, Education for Liberation, Affective Education, Peace Studies at Bradford, the Scope and Dilemnas of Peace Studies;
- Part 2: Tools for Transformation, In the Middle, Non-Official Mediation in Violent Situations, Another Way, Positive Response to Contemporary Violence, Social Healing of the Wounds of War, Peacemaking – Public and Private;
- Part 3: The Fragile Voice of Love, To Tame the Hydra – Happiness, Peace and Love, the Violin and the Oboe, the Fragile Voice of Love and Prose Poems, Remembering Forward; the Visionary Practical Scholarship of Adam Curle; Complete Works of Adam Curle; Bibliography; Notes
‘This book is both a tribute to the work of Adam Curle and testimony to his living legacy. It is also a timely reminder of the importance of personal integrity and an ethical world view, to better navigate contemporary challenges of conflict, violence and the turmoil of change.’ —Judith Large, Senior Research Fellow, Conflict Analysis Research Centre (CARC), University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
