Friedensforschung als reflexive Wissenschaft

Abstract

The obvious demand for more selfreflection in security policy raises the issue of reflexivity of and in peace research itself. This article recalls the reflexive potential of critical peace research, but aims to expand it to a reflexive peace research based on its claim to reconcile its scientific approach and its practice orientation. Because peace research in this view is thus constantly involved in and dealing with political conflicts, it needs a reflexive perspective to be able to scientifically analyze these conflicts. This argument is further illustrated by the methodological challenges of empirical conflict analysis. The article ends with the outlook that in addition to the critical approaches also postcolonial perspectives offer promising links to pursue peace research as a practiceoriented, reflexive science.

Observing Conflict Escalation in World Society

“…At this point, it thus defies this author to explicitly address the above-mentioned impulses that may inspire the observation of conflict in world society from a scientific point of view. In the following sections, these impulses are linked to considerations on reflexive conflict analysis in peace research (see particularly Weller 2017).…”

Knowledge for peace: integrating power to increase impact

“…In addition to traditional or problem-solving theories, critical theory includes the researcher's societal environment in interpreting the results (Cox, 1981). Peace research is expected to reflect on its own doing (Weller, 2017). On one side, this is due to its content: peace research aims at transforming the societies it works on (Goetschel, 2009).…”