Need a book recommendation: pacificism

[Susan Wise Bauer]

I'm reading up on pacificism and don't know anything at all about it. Can anyone recommend a couple of good titles? I'm interested in in all varieties, not just Christian pacificism.

 

Thanks, Hive Mind.

 

SWB

[Susan Wise Bauer]

It's a weird gap in knowledge. I'm very much a traditional historian--I tend to write military and political history--and the stepping stones of those kinds of narratives are all wars, battles, invasions, and conquests. Peace movements don't make it onto the landscape except as minor bumps--in fact, I can't remember a single seminar in either seminary or my doctoral program that even mentioned pacificism. I know the names of peace movements, but practically nothing about the philosophy and/or theology behind them.

 

Thanks for the book recommendations, I'll look those up today.

 

SWB

[PariSarah]

John Howard Yoder--Politics of Jesus, What Would You Do (which has contributions from other authors as well), Body Politics, or The Original Revolution

 

Stanley Hauerwas--Peaceable Kingdom, and maybe A Better Hope

 

Paul Ramsey has a book called "Speak Up for Just War or Pacifism" (the basic argument of which is that even just war theory is far better than what we have now).

 

Richard Hays' chapter on violence in Moral Vision of the New Testament might give you some ideas, too.

 

Older stuff: Tertullian and Lactantius in the Patristic period; Erasmus has a thing about how awful war is and how loath the Christian Prince should be to enter into the state.

[Nan in Mass]

You could read Beating Celestial Drums, by the founder of the order, Nichidatsu Fujii. It is very short. He says, among lots of other things, that now that mankind has such powerful weapons, war is no longer a viable way of settling conflicts. The Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhists walk all over the world for peace. Many of them are Japanese. They are non-violent. They gather and connect people as they walk along drumming and chanting. Volunteers feed and house them at the end of the day in churches and community centers. People can join them for a step or a day or a week or a whole walk. They meet with community leaders and advocate for peace. I like it because it is a very peaceful way of working for peace.

 

My son has spent many months walking here, in Japan, and in Europe, and I have done a little, too. Often, native peoples are involved with the walks. Sometimes a walk is very international. Walking works to spread peace because as well as being a strong way to pray, it is visible to many people and makes them think. It is something almost everyone who wants to make a sacrifice for peace feels they can do. It is a physical sacrifice, which feels very real. People are inspired when they meet others who are devoting their lives to achieving world peace. Even the tired people with blistered feet who have only walked for a day are inspiring. They bring new hope to discouraged local peaceworkers. When you join a walk for a day as it goes through your town, you meet other people interested in peace, some of whom have usually been working for peace in your area for years and have projects you can join. The leaders and monks are very good at connecting people together.

 

Among other locations, they have a number of pagodas in the US. One is:

 

The Nipponzan Myohoji

New England Peace Pagoda

100 Cave Hill Rd.

Leverett, MA 01054

 

I'm sure someone there, like Kato-shoni, would be happy to recommend more books. It works best to contact them in writing; not all the monks' first language in English so sometimes telephoning is difficult. Also, letters will wait for them to return from travelling. The ones I've spoken to dislike email and love getting written letters.

 

You also might want to investigate Mayors for Peace. It is an organization which was begun by the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and works at the local level. National leaders often have trouble committing their countries to peace, but local leaders, who usually are more unhappy about the amount of taxes going towards war and not towards education and other local projects (among other things), are often more inclined to be committed to world peace. An impressive list of mayors of major world cities have signed Mayors for Peace. http://www.mayorsforpeace.org/

 

Sorry - this is much more than a simple book recommendation. But most of our learning about pacifism hasn't been through books; it has been through people and activities.

 

Isn't your son getting close to 18? Is he going to register as a conscientious objector? Or perhaps I shouldn't ask? Perhaps the peace in Peacehill isn't that sort of peace?

 

Best wishes. And peace GRIN.

-Nan

 

PS - My son reminded me that he read In the Footsteps of Gandhi, with is interviews with peace workers, not all of whom are pacifists.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Nan in Mass
Added the footsteps book.

[RegularMom]

You may also want to look at:

 

Peace as a Women's Issue, by Harriet Hyman Alonso - a history of the U.S. movement for world peace and women's rights,

 

and

 

Women Strike for Peace, Traditional Motherhood and Radical Politics in the 1960's, by Amy Swerdlow - a historical account of the Women's Strike for Peace Movement.

 

Both of these titles are written from a women's studies/feminist perspective, which may or may not be your thing, but even if it's not your thing, I'd say both titles are still essential for a well-rounded study of pacifism.

[LaxMom]

Peace movements don't make it onto the landscape except as minor bumps--in fact, I can't remember a single seminar in either seminary or my doctoral program that even mentioned pacificism.

This makes me sad for us as a species.

[Nicole M]

It's a weird gap in knowledge. I'm very much a traditional historian--I tend to write military and political history--and the stepping stones of those kinds of narratives are all wars, battles, invasions, and conquests. Peace movements don't make it onto the landscape except as minor bumps--in fact, I can't remember a single seminar in either seminary or my doctoral program that even mentioned pacificism. I know the names of peace movements, but practically nothing about the philosophy and/or theology behind them.

 

Thanks for the book recommendations, I'll look those up today.

 

SWB

 

Have you read Howard Thurmon's autobiography, With Head and Heart? He was a contemporary of MLK Senior and met several times with Gandhi. He does not lay out a specifically pacifist theology, but because of his associations with Gandhi, non-violence is a theme throughout the work.

[Peek a Boo]

not a book, and definitely religious, but this website secured a few principles for me. The guy is over-the-top harsh and i don't agree w/ EVERYTHING he posits, but he's got a few essential nuggets in there.....lotsa links scattered throughout.

 

http://dominionpacifism.com/

[Demal]

M. K. Gandhi's writings on Satyagraha.

[Susan Wise Bauer]

You guys are amazing. What a wide variety of perspectives. THANKS.

 

More suggestions are always welcome.

 

SWB

[dragons in the flower bed]

Also, The Power of Non Violence-Writings by Advocates of Peace (by Zinn).

 

 

I will add my voice to second this recommendation. The Power of Nonviolence is an anthology of major and influential peace advocate writings and thoughts, from Buddha to the modern day. It's not a history, but a compilation of the literature that inspired it. I just read it and stuck it into my list of personal/family/religious works to cover in high school.

 

On my list of titles to read this year is A Brief History of Pacifism from Jesus to Tolstoy by Peter Brock. I'm not sure whether that or A Force More Powerful: A Century of Non-Violent Conflict will be better. The latter accompanies a PBS series.

Edited January 22, 2009 by dragons in the flower bed

[Catherine]

nt

[dragons in the flower bed]

The Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhists walk all over the world for peace. Many of them are Japanese. They are non-violent. They gather and connect people as they walk along drumming and chanting. Volunteers feed and house them at the end of the day in churches and community centers. People can join them for a step or a day or a week or a whole walk. They meet with community leaders and advocate for peace. I like it because it is a very peaceful way of working for peace.

 

 

This reminds me of Peace Pilgrim. She walked for both inner and international peace, corresponding with thousands of people, mostly teenagers. I know quite a few of them, now adults, who would say that she changed their lives, and one who chose to continue living because of her.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Isn't your son getting close to 18? Is he going to register as a conscientious objector? Or perhaps I shouldn't ask?

 

Hijacking a little bit...

 

Nan, do you have experience with this? Since we're not part of a church, I've been developing a peace portfolio for my children to prove they've been raised as pacifists, but I haven't had much to add to it lately. Up to about age six, we had pictures from newspaper clippings of our kids holding peace signs at protests. As adolescents, I imagine the kids will be able to travel and volunteer. But I'm at a loss for what kind of activities we can do now, between ages seven and thirteen, that will leave a paper trail.

[elizabeth]

 

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pacifism/#3 A superb schematic on the sources for, varieties of and objections to pacifism including non theological bases. I love this particular website and use it frequently for a framework on which to have a discussion with dd on any number of different topics . This resource has been invaluable for us as I approach history through examining underlying ideas and paradigm shifts concurrent with chronological developments.

[Susan Wise Bauer]

Elizabeth,

 

that is a phenemonal resource...thanks for the link.

 

SWB

[Audrey]

Not that I have a clue what seminary studies would entail, but it surprises me greatly that it would not include some serious exposure to the Anabaptists -- several sects, nearly all of whom are pacifists.

 

I can't imagine how the Mennonites or the Amish, for example, haven't had an impact on history, but I'm living in an area that is so heavily influenced by them, it's hard to imagine otherwise. :001_huh:

 

Here is an excellent online resource on Anabaptist pacifism (mainly Mennonite in scope). http://www.bluffton.edu/~mastg/pacifism.htm

 

And, here's a book that I feel express the lifestyle aspects and conflict of pacifism in the Mennonite culture of America:

 

Two Kingdoms, Two Loyalties : Mennonite Pacifism in Modern America by Perry Bush. It covers the period post WWI through the Viet Nam era.

 

 

ETA: I just read the spelling in your post more closely. Do you mean PACIFICISM or PACIFISM? I read it first as pacifism and my recommendations reflect that. Although, I do think the book would still be helpful if you mean pacificism -- as non-violence in philosophy, but aggression only as a measure of last resort. Pacifism would be non-violence, period. Two Kingdoms is more about pacifism, but in the context of historical happenings of the time frame of the book, it does explore the the conflict of pacifism during national aggression.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Audrey

[phathui5]

John Howard Yoder is a Mennonite writer. I always hear folks at church recommending him.

[Tutor]

 

Wayward Christian Soldiers by Charles Marsh (about the "political captivity" of the American church with a large portion dedicated to pacifism)

[QuirkyKapers]

This isn't a book but the site has links to different peace stuff- books, web sites etc. The top portion has to do with Mennonites but it looks like as you scroll down, there are other links: http://peace.mennolink.org/links.html The Third Way Cafe is a great place to get more information regarding peace stuff.

Edited January 22, 2009 by QuirkyKapers

[Nan in Mass]

I have folders for each of my children. My middle one is registered as a consciencious objector in the UU CO registry. Registration there requires a letter from your minister and a letter explaining your beliefs. After they register you, you are free to add other things to your file. I'm sure you know there are non-religious organizations that let you do this, too? One thing I thought of that we haven't actually gotten around to doing yet is registering ourselves (husband and myself). My son hasn't been drafted so I have no experience with someone actually becoming a consciencious objector in the eyes of the government. I hope it stays that way.

 

I have my youngest write out a statement of belief every once in a while. I have him write out his beliefs, how he aquired these beliefs, and how the beliefs affect the way he lives and the type of work he plans to do (from an adult worksheet whose site seems to not be there anymore).

 

As we do our literature and history reading, sometimes he agrees or disagrees with something and I have him write it out as a paragraph (to give the context) and add that.

 

He walks with the peace walks when I do. I take pictures and record the dates and add those.

 

He has done some work for Mayor's for Peace. He was heavily involved in a project I did to persuade Boston's mayor to sign it. Together, we wrote letters to Boston teachers and school principals describing Mayors for Peace and asking them to ask their children to write letters to the mayor asking him to sign it. (We were successful.) He also was along when a group of monks and local peace activists went to our nearest city and asked that mayor to sign. Persuading mayors in your area to sign by getting people to write letters, especially school children, is rather a large project, but one that is especially suited to young children with convictions. People listen to children, especially when they are asking for something like peace. Mayor's for Peace is international and non-partisan, making it fairly safe for politicians. The website mayorsforpeace.org has more information.

 

Another thing I've tried to have mine do (but have had limited success with) is interview pacifists and record the interview somehow. Then they write their reaction to the person's beliefs and arguments.

 

And there is always reading and biographies and reports about pacifists and peace activists and religion and philosophy as a somewhat more boring paper trail of investigating and thinking about peace.

 

We have places nearby that make a good field trip, too.

 

If I have any more ideas, I'll let you know.

 

-Nan

[buddhabelly]

Pema Chodron wrote "Practicing Peace in Times of War." She is of the Mahayana School of Buddhism and does a wonderful job of simplifying very difficult Buddhist teachings. This piece is from the Vipassana school: http://dharma.org/ij/archives/2002a/nonviolence.htm They both emphasize the notion that nonviolence begins at the individual level, in the way I react to this person, this situation right in front of me. I realize the latter piece is very long so you might not get through it. But at least skim it, because it is very thorough, well-documented, and not (IMO) limited to the Vipassana point of view. It mentions the root (the source) of nonviolence in Buddhist teachings, which is that there is no difference between "you" and "me." You want to be happy. I want to be happy. I want my children to be healthy and successful. You want your children to be healthy and successful. I experience fear. You experience fear. So if I truly understand this concept and I choose to respond to my OWN anger* by intentionally hurting you, that is just......illogical. A hefty portion of Buddhist practices involve practicing/raising compassion (boddhicitta), beginning with compassion to myself, then to close friends and family, then finally (when I am ready) compassion to enemies and people that are "invisible" to me.

 

Tonglen instructions are available on Pema Chodron's website. That is the compassion practice to which I referred.

 

I wish I had 1/10 of your energy.......:tongue_smilie:

 

*I think it is funny that we say "she MADE me angry" in our language. Uh, no she didn't. My pre-conceived notions, the perceived threats to my beliefs (gasp! I might be wrong!), my fragile ego, THOSE made me angry. And what to do about that anger is all my choice. Mine. She didn't make me do anything when she insulted my flabby hips and the way they look in that gold brocade Cuban-designed dress. Oh, dear, now you know my realname! Hee.

 

Julie

Edited January 22, 2009 by buddhabelly

[Carol in Cal.]

I remember seeing bumper stickers that said, "Visualize Peace," years ago, and being a bit bewildered. Huh, peace, absence of war, so what? What is there to visualize?

 

It wasn't until I read a utopian book by Starhawk, of all people, that I realized what the bumper stickers were getting at. It is called "The Fifth Sacred Thing." It postulates a post-nuclear San Francisco, that has changed its culture and values entirely. Other areas of California have changed in different ways--some sounding kind of facist--and the areas end up contacting each other, not entirely in a good way. The book asks whether peace can be maintained in the face of someone who is determined to be an enemy, and what the price and result of doing that might be.

 

After I read it, I could picture peace itself as dynamic and needing to be asserted and defended, not just the absence of war.

 

I have to tell you, there is a lot of theology and ritual by Starhawk that I don't just disagree with, I actually find offensive. Some of her stuff I will not read at all. So this book is not necessarily an easy read for a Christian. But it is well-written and I'm glad that I have read it.

 

(And then there is the ironic counter-bumper sticker--"Visualize Whirled Peas"--but I digress.)

[Nan in Mass]

veteransforpeace.org

[Nan in Mass]

Ursula LeGuin explores this, too, in some of her books. I had my son read Eye of the Heron.

[Daisy]

I didn't read all the other replies but I found this book interesting...

 

How Christians Made Peace With War by John Driver

 

It's only about 86 pages long.

[Tutor]

\

 

Two Kingdoms, Two Loyalties : Mennonite Pacifism in Modern America by Perry Bush. It covers the period post WWI through the Viet Nam era.

 

 

ETA: I just read the spelling in your post more closely. Do you mean PACIFICISM or PACIFISM? I read it first as pacifism and my recommendations reflect that. Although, I do think the book would still be helpful if you mean pacificism -- as non-violence in philosophy, but aggression only as a measure of last resort. Pacifism would be non-violence, period. Two Kingdoms is more about pacifism, but in the context of historical happenings of the time frame of the book, it does explore the the conflict of pacifism during national aggression.

 

Audrey,

 

Thanks for the book recommendation and the distinction between pacifism and pacificism. I had never heard of that distinction before. I have been trying to get my grandfather to talk about his experiences in the Unitarian Universalist congregation he helped found during the time my father went off to fight in Vietnam. I was trying to reconcile his pacifist-appearing view with his own military service and his support (and encouragement) of his son's joining the military in a time of war. Now I have another angle to view it from. Thanks.

[Audrey]

Audrey,

 

Thanks for the book recommendation and the distinction between pacifism and pacificism. I had never heard of that distinction before. I have been trying to get my grandfather to talk about his experiences in the Unitarian Universalist congregation he helped found during the time my father went off to fight in Vietnam. I was trying to reconcile his pacifist-appearing view with his own military service and his support (and encouragement) of his son's joining the military in a time of war. Now I have another angle to view it from. Thanks.

 

 

You're very welcome! :) Pacificism is commonly seen as just a misspelling of pacifism, but they actually are somewhat different philosophies. Many see pacificism as another flavour of pacifism.

 

For anyone interested in a brief overview, the wiki on pacificism is nice and clear -- not so much the one on pacifism.

[Testimony]

Books by Emerson

and his pupil, David Thoreau? I might be off on recommending these books, but I do know that both Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. studied Thoreau's Civil Disobedience. Emerson wrote the theories, but Thoreau lived them out.

 

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

 

Oops! Walden and Civil Disobedience is a Norton Book.;:D

[Peek a Boo]

.....but they actually are somewhat different philosophies. Many see pacificism as another flavour of pacifism.

 

For anyone interested in a brief overview, the wiki on pacificism is nice and clear -- not so much the one on pacifism.

 

actually, it looks like pacificism is a form OF pacifism, since pacifism itself covers such a broad spectrum. Someone just got around to nailing down a specific term for a particular brand of pacifism ;)

 

I'm still working thru elizabeth's link..... I need to come up w/ a fancy-schmancy [less than 5 words] term to describe my ideas of pacifism :D

[Susan Wise Bauer]

ETA: I just read the spelling in your post more closely. Do you mean PACIFICISM or PACIFISM? I read it first as pacifism and my recommendations reflect that. Although, I do think the book would still be helpful if you mean pacificism -- as non-violence in philosophy, but aggression only as a measure of last resort. Pacifism would be non-violence, period. Two Kingdoms is more about pacifism, but in the context of historical happenings of the time frame of the book, it does explore the the conflict of pacifism during national aggression.

 

I meant the former originally, but I've had so many good suggestions I'm expanding my research. :001_smile:

[Peek a Boo]

I meant the former originally, but I've had so many good suggestions I'm expanding my research. :001_smile:

 

well, since pacificism is rilly rilly new [looks like it was a twinkle in the eye in 1957/ birthed in 1987], i wouldn't expect too much history on it yet ;)

 

do let us know what you dig up that you find especially helpful!!

[Susan Wise Bauer]

The designation "pacificism" is new; so far as I know the idea has been around since Augustine. Philosophy is not my specialty, but non-aggression/violence as a last reward is (I think) one of the foundational principles of just war.

 

I'm finding the research on specific pacifist movements most interesting so far.

 

SWB

[Demal]

Oops. I also misread it as "pacifism."

 

In Robert Lawrence Smith's A Quaker Book of Wisdom, he talks about his experiences as an infantryman in the Battle of the Bulge. Smith, a former headmaster of Sidwell Friends School, served in WWII, as did more than half of all draft-eligible Quaker men in the United States, "inspired by the clear moral choices of this conflict." In another chapter, he mentions that several Friends Meetings supported the use of peacekeeping forces in the former Yugoslavia. Perhaps there's some public record of the debate within the Quaker community on pacificism versus pacifism.

Edited January 23, 2009 by Demal

[Audrey]

The designation "pacificism" is new; so far as I know the idea has been around since Augustine. Philosophy is not my specialty, but non-aggression/violence as a last reward is (I think) one of the foundational principles of just war.

 

I'm finding the research on specific pacifist movements most interesting so far.

 

SWB

 

 

Just a thought then... You might find the anarcho-pacifists really interesing reading, too. On the cultural history side, there are some very intriguing plays from the 20th C inspired by anarchist pacifism. Also, there are many late 20thC and contemporary bands that use the philosophy as a framework for their music.

 

Don't know if you were leaning in that direction. Cultural history is more my thing than the political history, but it's clear that one influences the other quite strongly, and vice versa.

[Nan in Mass]

He says he sort of agrees with some of their ideas, but it doesn't seem to be a very workable philosophy; he has had to deal with their children, whom he says are unmanaged and therefore unmanagable. : )

-Nan

[Nan in Mass]

But maybe it was just the ones he's met.

[dragons in the flower bed]

But maybe it was just the ones he's met.

 

:001_smile:

[Nan in Mass]

Augustine? Shouldn't it be earlier than that? Thinking non-western here...

[Peek a Boo]

Just a thought then... You might find the anarcho-pacifists really interesing reading, too.

 

yeah... that theonomic defense of pacifism site prefers anarchy, but he defines it as where everyone wants to serve- not grab power, as opposed to the chaos of everyone fighting for power ;)

[Tutor]

Just picked up the alumni magazine for dh's and my Alma Mater (Gettysburg College) and came across a new release by a philosophy prof there that may be of interest to you:

 

After War, Is Faith Possible? The Life and Message of Geoffrey "Woodbine Willie" Studdert Kennedy edited by Kerry Walters- "a study and collection of the writings of a World War I chaplain whose war experiences converted him to radical Christian pacifism"

[Karen sn]

This reminds me of Peace Pilgrim. She walked for both inner and international peace, corresponding with thousands of people, mostly teenagers. I know quite a few of them, now adults, who would say that she changed their lives, and one who chose to continue living because of her.

 

I was just thinking about her as I read it, too.