Conflict and Peace Studies

This area enriches the discipline of Conflict and Peace Studies by providing a Hindu perspective. By becoming more inclusive and pluralistic, conflicts at various levels can be approached more creatively. There are few contemporary studies on the Hindu perspective on conflict and peace. Most of these studies focus on the 20th century (particularly the latter half) Indian developments and juxtapose Indian thinking with dominant Western theories. The evolution of the Hindu thinking on these subjects, however, can be traced to the ancient period. One example would illustrate this point. India’s national emblem is inscribed with Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs), which is from the ancient scripture Mundaka Upaniṣad. This area of studies, hence, while exploring the Hindu perspectives on violence, conflict, and wars, will examine their origins, and assess an innovative paradigm on peacebuilding. Notably, rigid compartmentalization of disciplines is foreign to traditional Hindu thinking, though most of the available studies in this area attempt to understand Indian scholarship through rigid disciplinary boundaries. The courses in this area of study will address this critical gap. They will examine various facets of conflict and peace, study existing scholarship and dominant theories in the discipline, and explore the ancient Hindu wisdom, empowering students to develop an integrated perspective on conflict resolution and peacebuilding and apply their understanding in creative ways to contemporary conflicts and challenges facing humanity.