A Hero for Our Time: Book Review of Elise Boulding
an article by David Adams

We need heroes. This is no less true when we are adult than when we were children. And it is especially true if we work for peace, because throughout our lives from the educational system and the mass media we have been subjected to war heroes instead.

Elise Boulding is a true hero for a culture of peace in every respect, and this is masterfully shown in the new biography of her by Mary Lee Morrison. Elise has educated for power through nonviolence. She has shared information, not only with adults but also with children on an equal level. She has worked for democratic participation both at the grass-roots level and at the level of international non-governmental organizations. She has promoted international understanding and tolerance among all peoples, including indigenous peoples and all religions. She exemplifies the equality of women, including through her landmark book, "The Underside of History: A View of Women through Time". And she has written an excellent book on the culture of peace, "Cultures of Peace: The Hidden Side of History." By the way, both of these books need to be reviewed by CPNN.

Mary Lee Morrison's biography provides both intimate details, made available through personal interviews, and extensive research documenting the rich public career of Elise as a sociologist, activist and organizer at both the local and international levels. She played key roles in the development of many of today's peace institutions including the International Peace Research Association, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, the American Friends Service Committee and the Friends Peace Teams.

I have a special respect for Elise because she helped draft the first call for a culture of peace as a member of the editing team for the outcome document of the Yamoussoukro Conference in Côte D'Ivoire, Africa, in 1989.

If you have a chance to meet Elise, by all means take advantage of it as the highest of priorities, because, as she says at the end of the Morrison book, her journey has arrived at the "country of old age." But if that is not possible, the next best thing is to read and study this authoritative book on her life and teachings.

Details of the book: "Elise Boulding: A Life in the Cause of Peace" and it is published by McFarland & Co, Jefferson, North Carolina and London, copyright 2005.

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