Working group for peace and conflict research
The Working Group for Peace and Conflict Research is a scientific association of researchers from various specialist disciplines from German-speaking countries. The AFK promotes scientific work that contributes to an understanding of the causes of peace and war and is intended to form the basis for peace-oriented political practice. It was founded in Bonn in 1968 and functions as a networking institution for currently more than 270 individual and institutional members from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The AFK is represented by the executive committee, which is elected by the general assembly that takes place every two years. The AFK office has been located in the Faculty of Society and Economics at the Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve since 2016 .
Peace and conflict research before the foundation of the AFK
Modern peace research began in the USA in the 1920s . In the years at the beginning of the Cold War , institutes for peace research were founded in Europe, such as the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) founded by Johan Galtung in 1959 , the best known is perhaps the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) from 1966. In Germany the Research Society for Peace Studies was founded in Munich in 1958 , specializing in peace education . In 1970, on the initiative of Gustav Heinemann, the German Society for Peace and Conflict Research was founded, which was funded by the state, but was dissolved in 1983 at the instigation of Franz Josef Strauss because its funds had been cut.
In 1968 the AFK was finally founded by peace and conflict researchers from various academic disciplines.
activities
The scientific colloquium that takes place every spring is central to the work of the AFK . This annual conference has a general theme and serves the internal scientific exchange as well as the communication of peace and conflict research to the public.
Since 2012, the AFK has published the “Zeitschrift für Friedens- und conflictforschung” (ZeFKo), a peer-reviewed journal whose subscription is included in an AFK membership. The ZeFKo replaces the publication series of the “AFK-Friedensschriften”, in which selected contributions from the annual colloquia have appeared as an anthology since 1971.
Working groups
Scientists within the AFK work in working groups on various topics. Currently there are working groups AK theory, AK peace education, AK science and practice, AK curriculum, AK culture and religion and AK environment, resources, conflicts (as well as the AK historical peace research as an independent association). The working group of young women scientists and the network of women peace researchers have a special network function for the respective target groups.
Promotion of young talent
Since 1993, the AFK has been honoring young academics or initiatives who have made an outstanding contribution to peace and conflict research with its young talent award. In 1997 the award was named after the late right-wing extremism researcher Christiane Rajewsky , who was one of the founding members of the AFK and was particularly committed to promoting young scientists at the Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences. The family of the namesake supports the award with a foundation.
The AFK's Young Scientists Working Group acts as a network for young researchers and regularly organizes conferences and workshops. On the AFK homepage there is also an overview of the current master’s courses in the field of peace and conflict research in German-speaking countries, created by the AK Curriculum.
Cooperations
AFK is co-editor of the quarterly journal “ Science and Peace ”. She is also a corporate member of the Civil Conflict Management Platform .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://afk-web.de/
- ↑ Note on the 50th anniversary at friedenspädagogik.de (accessed October 2013)