When discussed by politicians, journalists, academics, and even
activists, it is frequently assumed that everyone knows what ‘peace’
is, and thus the word is commonly left undefined. Therefore it is
vital, at the outset, to problematise peace and ask what ‘it’ is. To
begin with, I will consider three disciplines that have pondered the
matter more deeply than geography: peace studies, Biblical studies,
and International Relations theory. The purpose of these excursions
into other fields is not to attempt to summarise their numerous
debates and achievements, but rather to demonstrate the rich
and varied ways in which ‘peace’ can be conceptualised. This will
provide pointers to begin exploring how the term has been used
within the geographical tradition.