ABSTRACT
The chapter looks into the development of peace and conflict studies as an intellectual endeavour within the broader discipline of international relations in the period following World War II. It is indeed true that the central focus for peace and conflict studies has been the arena of inter-state politics. In view of that, the chapter examines the philosophical background as well as the institutional and intellectual foundations of peace and conflict studies within International Relations. At the same time it argues for a broader conceptualization of peace and conflict going beyond the arena of inter-state relations in the light of, on the one hand, the multiple dimensions of the issues involved, and on the other, the different spaces over which the issues become salient.
