This theory-based introduction to peace studies provides coverage of theories relevant to peace studies: peace; conflict; development; civilizations; and economics. It provides an analogy between peace studies and health studies, and makes a strong case for a transdisciplinary approach.

How is reality manufactured? The idea of social construction has become a commonplace of much social research, yet precisely what is constructed, and how, and even what constructionism means, is often unclear or taken for granted. This work offers a tour of the central themes raised by these questions.

Hall offers a wide-ranging exploration of the issues surrounding cultural identity. He outlines the reasons why the question of identity is so compelling and yet so problematic. Outstanding contributors then interrogate different dimensions of the crisis of identity providing both theoretical and substantive insights into different approaches to understanding identity.