ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the Latin American Council for Peace Research (CLAIP), the leading peace studies organization in Latin America. It offers an introduction, a section on peace studies in Latin America, and a reflection on the evolution of the concept of security, expanding from narrow military definitions in the region. The evolution of peace research in Latin America is closely related to historical processes in the sub-continent during the past five hundred years, as well as to political events in the rest of the world. Johan Galtung founded the Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO) in 1959 and the Journal of Peace Research in 1964. In 1962 WILPF established a Consultative Commission on peace research. Stimulated by the parallel efforts in North America and in Europe, an International Peace Research Newsletter appeared in 1963, a preliminary meeting was held in Switzerland, and in December 1964, and the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) was established in London.
