Peaceful societies prohibit violence

Bibliographic Data

ID12936616
AuthorsBruce D Bonta (Pennsylvania State University, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume5
Issue3
Pages117-129
Publication date2013-07-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Aggression Conflict and Peace Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1759-6599 • E-ISSN: 2042-8715
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/jacpr-01-2013-0002
OpenAlexW2156531750
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited22

Purpose Peaceful societies, groups of people described by social scientists as experiencing little if any internal or external violence, embrace the need for peacefulness, in contrast to most of the contemporary world, which accepts violence as normal and inevitable. The purpose of this article is to examine the ways that people in those societies view peacefulness, and to compare those ways with more “normal” violent societies. Design/methodology/approach The approach taken is a literature review of salient trends about anti‐violence among some of the more highly peaceful societies, and comparable trends in two state‐level societies—Norway, a relatively peaceful state, and the USA, a relatively more violent one. Findings The findings show that some of the peaceful societies avoid violence through nonresistance—not resisting aggression. In addition, many base their commitments to peacefulness on religious and mythological beliefs, though for others, peacefulness is based on cultural values or is seen as a practical, reasonable way to order their lives. The societies that appear to have very firm commitments to nonviolence are the ones where structures of peacefulness thrive. Originality/value The practical value of this research is that it points out how the peaceful societies can be contrasted with modern nation states, and it may suggest ways to challenge general patterns of violence

Aggression · Criminology · Mythology · Originality · Peaceful coexistence · Political science · Politics · Qualitative research · Salient · Social science · Sociology · State (computer science · Value (mathematics · History · Law · Peace and Human Rights Education · Peacebuilding and International Security · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology · Social Psychology

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