Ever wonder where the systematic study of conflict/violence and peace came from?  How the classics became classic or what the creators of the field think about what is being done today?  Well, MINDfields was born with this in mind (excuse the pun):  http://mindfields.weebly.com.

Essentially, we (Christian Davenport, Jaqueline Demeritt, Will Moore, Ragnhild Nordås & Ernesto Verdeja) grab a scholar who has assisted in pioneering the study of conflict/violence/peace, turn on the camera and ask six questions: 

* What research of yours are you most proud of?

* What led you to undertake the research project for which you are most widely known?

* Looking back at the evolution of the field over the course of your career, what do you think should have received more attention?

* Are there any things that you believe should have received less attention?

* If you had done an interview like this when you were in mid-career, who would you have liked to interview?

* What do you think are the most exciting or promising areas in current research? Future research?

This is where the fun begins.  Thus far we have talked with James Scott (interviewed by Christian Davenport), Peter Wallensteen (interviewed by Will Moore), Martha Crenshaw (interviewed by Ernesto Verdeja) and Manus Midlarsky (interviewed again by Ernesto Verdeja).  One is in production (Nils Peter Gleditsch interviewed by Ragnhild Nordås) and several are scheduled. 

Check the project out, have a pen and paper with you and then suggest who you would like to hear from.

Christian Davenport