This book was inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Peace Education Commission of the International Peace Research Association and the 2023 revision of the UNESCO Recommendation on Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace, and Education related to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, both 1974 landmark events in the field. Over the past 50 years the field has evolved substantially, and this new volume provides historical reflections on the origins of our work as well as future directions.

This essential anthology provides critical and reflective accounts of peace education in contexts around the world through 30+ chapters featuring researchers, educators, and activists from every inhabited continent, including timely contributions from Palestine and Israel, Ukraine and Russia. It casts light on the ways in which peace education has been prioritized in educational activities in diverse contexts, and of the importance of critical learning across formal, informal and non-formal settings. Historical, contextual accounts illustrate how peace education has responded to both pedagogical and institutional challenges. The critical need to address both structural and cultural violence in the search for planetary transformation is highlighted, as well as the importance of promoting 'cognitive justice' and work with indigenous knowledges.

The book includes many authors' accounts of their beginnings in the field, and the activities and ideas they have developed and practiced. Several chapters honor the contributions of recently departed colleagues, including Robert Aspeslagh, Mario Borrelli, Johan Galtung, Betty Reardon, and Olga Vorkunova.