The Emergence of Peace and Conflict Studies: Comparing Differences in the Creation of Academic Programs With Ties to Social Movements in US Higher Education

This article expands the sociological scholarship on the development of academic programs in intellectual fields tied to social movements. After briefly reviewing this literature, which has especially focused on fields like ethnic studies and women's studies, it examines the development of the smaller field of peace and conflict studies. In considering the potential actors, tactics, and outcomes for programs in these kinds of fields, this article explores and seeks to explain why the establishment of peace/conflict studies, despite the influence of the Vietnam War era, was not characterized by student protest akin to that especially for Black studies programs. Doing so points to three major differences amidst their overlapping histories—the central organizational actors involved (i.e., students/non‐students), the related influence of ideology, and the major waves of program establishment. This article closes with suggestions for further expanding comparative research, including ways that these fields continue to be politicized, the relationship between broader movement activities and institutionalization, and the recent establishment of conservative‐backed academic programs in the university.