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Defence conversion: dead duck or still a relevant object of study?
[working paper]
Corporate Editor
Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)
Abstract The Working Paper charts the evolution of Conversion Studies from the Cold War to the post-Cold War period and discusses some of the reasons for the demise of the discipline in the new millennium. Based on a consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of Conversion Studies in the past, it makes so... view more
The Working Paper charts the evolution of Conversion Studies from the Cold War to the post-Cold War period and discusses some of the reasons for the demise of the discipline in the new millennium. Based on a consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of Conversion Studies in the past, it makes some suggestions on how conversion could inform a systematic field of academic inquiry in the 21st century. The propositions put forward to this end lean toward a comparatively conservative approach that pays close attention to the historical legacy of conversion as a concept. In sum, Conversion Studies should be a multi-disciplinary, critical and policy-relevant field of research that advocates social change based on analyses of political economies of violence, particularly in the affluent, industrialized and comparatively peaceful societies of the Global North. At the same time, it ought to abandon its past reliance on a simple civil–military dichotomy and, instead, engage with the more complex issues raised by a focus on organized violence. This includes a continual questioning and readjustment of one’s own normative coordinates.... view less
Keywords
disarmament; arms conversion; military; society; defense; militarization; military-industrial complex; violence; research topic; peace research; conflict research
Classification
Peace and Conflict Research, International Conflicts, Security Policy
Free Keywords
Staat; Wissenschaft; Konversion militärischer Güter für zivile Nutzung
Document language
English
Publication Year
2017
City
Bonn
Page/Pages
37 p.
Series
BICC Working Paper, 7/2017
ISSN
2521-781X
Status
Published Version; reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0