4.1 Negative and Positive Peace

Learning Objectives

At the end of this section, the participants will:

• Be able to define the key terms of negative peace, positive peace, structural violence and cultural violence
• Be able to discuss the relevance of these terms to peace education and the broader field of peace studies 

Guiding Questions 

Before you read this section, consider the following questions: 

• What elements should be present in order for peace to occur? What elements should be absent for peace to occur?
• Are there different kinds of peace? Try to describe them. 
• Is conflict always negative? Can you think of instances when conflict might be positive? Can you think of an example in your life where a conflict resulted in a positive outcome?

Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.

- the XIVth Dalai Lama

Introduction 

Is peace the absence of war, or is it more than that? Peace is sometimes equated with the absence of war. But think about a country today that is not at war. Would you describe that country as being peaceful? Are there still problems of physical violence? Are there issues of social inequality, injustice, or discrimination? Most likely, the answer is yes. These are the issues that renowned peace scholar Johan Galtung was trying to address when he developed the concepts of negative and positive peace.

Johan Galtung is one of the main theorists in peace and conflict studies. He introduced the concepts of negative peace, positive peace, structural violence, and many other key concepts. Galtung has written numerous books and journal publications, and is the founder of Transcend International, a network of organizations working in peace research, education, action and media. Galtung's ideas have been highly influential in the field of peace education.

Definitions

Negative peace is the absence of violence. In order to create negative peace, we must look for ways to reduce and eliminate violence. A cease-fire would be an example of an action for negative peace.

Positive peace is the presence of social justice and equality, and the absence of structural or indirect violence. It is characterized by the presence of harmonious social relations and the “integration of human society” (Galtung, 1964). In order to further understand positive peace, it is important to understand structural violence. 

Structural violence, or indirect violence, is the result of social structures or institutions that prevent people from meeting their basic needs and accessing their basic human rights. Assefa describes this as “killing people without the use of the gun” (1993: 3). For example, hunger can be the result of structural violence, as economic and social systems may prevent people from being able to access adequate food supplies, particularly in societies where there are rich people with excess food supplies, and especially when public resources are diverted to other areas, such as military spending.  Another example would be institutionalized racism or sexism.

Figure 1: The Expanded Concept of Peace and Violence (Grewel, 2003, p.3)

Cultural violence refers to any aspect of culture which can be used to justify structural violence. Language, religion, ideology, and science are examples of parts of a culture that may mask structural violence, and even make it seem natural or right. 

It is important to note that peace, whether negative or positive, does not necessarily mean the absence of conflict. Conflict itself is not an inherently negative occurrence, as through conflict, positive change and transformation may occur. What is important is that conflict is handled nonviolently and constructively. Turay and English (2008) express this idea clearly by saying, “conflict is a fact of life and a reality for all of us. How we deal with it is how we embody our understanding of peace and justice.”

Implications for Peace Education

Peace education must distinguish between these different aspects of peace, and include both aspects in order to educate for a holistic conception of peace. In peace education, disarmament education and nonviolent conflict resolution education are forms of education for negative peace, as these forms of education seek to directly end or prevent violence and the use of force and weapons. However, disarmament education also goes beyond negative peace by promoting values for positive peace, and by exploring areas of structural violence relating to militarism, for example.  Education for human rights, multiculturalism, social justice, ecological sustainability, and inner peace are examples of peace education for positive peace.

Questions for comprehension and reflection 

1. What is the relevance of the theories of negative peace, positive peace and structural violence to peace education? 
2. Try to think of examples of negative peace and positive peace in your context. What local initiatives have there been to promote negative and/or positive peace?
3. Think of some examples of structural violence in your local, national, or regional context. Look at a local newspaper and see if there are any examples of structural violence.

References

Assefa, H. (1993). Peace and reconciliation as a paradigm: A philosophy of peace and its implications on conflict, governance, and economic growth in Africa. Nairobi, Kenya: Nairobi Peace Initiative.

Galtung, Johan. 1964. An Editorial. Journal of Peace Research, 1(1), p. 1-4. 

Grewel, B.S. (2003). Johan Galtung: Negative and Positive Peace. School of Social Science, Auckland University of Technology. Retrieved from http://www.activeforpeace.org/no/fred/Positive_Negative_Peace.pdf

Turay, T.M., & English, L.M. (2008). Towards a global culture of peace: A transformative model of peace education. Journal of Transformative Education, 6(4), p. 286-301. Available at: http://jtd.sagepub.com/content/6/4/286.full.pdf+html

Additional Resources

http://www.transcend.org/ - Johan Galtung's network for peace and development