Peace, like many theoretical terms, is difficult to define. Like happiness, harmony, justice, and
freedom, peace is something we often recognize by its absence. Consequently, Johan Galtung, a
founder of peace studies and peace research, has proposed the important distinction between
“positive” and “negative” peace. “Positive” peace denotes the simultaneous presence of many
desirable states of mind and society, such as harmony, justice, equity, and so on. “Negative” peace
has historically denoted the “absence of war” and other forms of large-scale violent human conflict.