TRI: TRANSCEND RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Directors: Professors Dietrich Fischer and Johan Galtung
TRI was founded early 2007 and is located in two adjoning houses in Bois Chatton, VERSONNEX, France, close to Geneva. The address is 7 rue du Cret de
TRI, in the tradition of peace and development research, goes beyond empirical and critical studies of past and present into constructive studies of the future, not shying away from elaborating what in the view of the authors should be done. This is done not only to serve as non-dogmatic guide-lights for the future but also as a contrast to understand the past better. Thus, autocracy was better understood against a vision of its negation, democracy; violence better understood against Gandhi's vision--and practice--of nonviolence. Sooner or later, however, time catches up with visions, exposing them to empirical tests. TRANSCEND, engaged as it is in human and social transformation for development, and conflict transformation for peace, needs this type of research, building on half a century of research.
So far there have been two major research priorities:
- Indexes of where we are on the way to peace and development
- Monographs, co-authored, that can serve as TPU text-books
Work has also been done on A Living Wage for Everyone on Earth as a major approach to a development satisfying basic needs.
The following indexes are being tested and found useful:
War Participation Index (WPI) measuring the extent to which a state historically has been involved in war, as the number of wars where it has participated--for any reason--divided by the number of years of existence of that state.
Early Warning Index (EWI) measuring the future inclination of a state (and other actors) to be involved in wars, based on the tendency to do so (WPI), and the levels of structural and cultural violence exercised by that actor.
Conflict Transformation Index (CTI) measuring the transformation level in a given conflict, facilitating comparisons of the same conflict over time and with other conflicts, and pointing to missing efforts as a guide to action. The index is not only a measure of what has been done, but of what remains to be done.
Autocracy Transformation Index (ATI) measuring the transition from autocracy to democracy of a given society, faciliatating comparisons over time and with other societies, pointing to missing efforts as a guide to action. The index is not only a measure of what has been done but of what remains to be done.
Peace Transformation Index (PTI) measuring the extent to which
autocracies, democracies and others are peace actors and factors faciliatating comparisons over time and with other societies, pointing to missing efforts as a guide to action.
The following co-authored books are close to completion, the co-authors working separately and in many joint sessions:
- Johan Galtung and Paul D. Scott: Democracy Peace Development
- Johan Galtung, Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick:
Reporting Conflict: An Introduction to Peace Journalism
Published in Spanish; English and Portugese in preparation
3. Johan Galtung, Jan Öberg and Håkan Wiberg:
4. Johan Galtung and S.P. Udayakumar):
More than a Curriculum: Education for Peace and Development
5. Johan Galtung and Joanna
Clearing the Past, Entering the Future
6. Johan Galtung, Jack
Peace Business
7. Johan Galtung and Graeme MacQueen: Globalizing Religion
8. Dietrich Fischer and Johan Galtung: Peace Mathematics
9. Kees van der Veer ed et al:
Multi-dimensional Society, Deep Structure, Social Positions
10. Johan Galtung and Jim Ife: Global Citizenship, Global Rigthts
Galtung's own book projects, in process for some time, are:
1. Economics in Another Key: Toward Life-sustaining Economics
2. A Theory of Peace
3. On the Coming Decline and Fall of the
- And Then What?
4. US Foreign Policy as Manifest Theology
5. Globalization for Peace And Development
6. Deep Culture and Conflict Culture
7. (with Andreas Galtung): Kultur som barnefabel
8. (with Herman Ruge): Matematikk med glede
9. (with Andreas Galtung): Matte som barnefabel
10. Graf, Schrader, eds, JG, Strukturelle und kulturelle Gewalt
Two major younger researchers, Michael Kuur-Sörensen and Nafeez Ahmed, are also related to TRI through their research on historiography, and on structural genocide.
TRI is in principle open for many approaches as indicated in our booklet series (fischer@transcend.org):
· 30 IPS Columns on Conflict Transformation/Nonviolent Approaches
· Background Papers on Conflict Transformation
· Emerging Peace Factors/Actors/Workers
· Jokes to be Taken Seriously
Like TRANSCEND in general TRI is idea-, not capital-intensive, so do not expect any funding but some idea exchange. TRI is not available for general consultation on university theses etc.
