Bending the Arc

Striving for Peace and Justice in the Age of Endless War

Edited by Steve Breyman, John W. Amidon, and Maureen Baillargeon Aumand

Subjects: Political Science, Peace, Social And Cultural History, Religion And Politics, New York/regional
Paperback : 9781438478746, 262 pages, August 2020
Hardcover : 9781438478753, 262 pages, August 2020

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Table of contents

Introduction
Steve Breyman

1. The Kateri Tekakwitha Interfaith Peace Conference: The Early Years: An Intimate History, 1998–2006
John W. Amidon

2. History of The Kateri Peace Conference, Part 2: Leaving the Comfort of Home
Maureen Baillargeon Aumand

3. The Road to CODEPINK
Medea Benjamin

4. Liberation Theology
Blase Bonpane

5. Paradigm for Peace
Kristin Y. Christman

6. The Struggle for Peace and Justice as a Way of Life
Lawrence Davidson

7. The Old Tribalism and the Vision of Abraham
Stephen Downs

8. A Quixotic Vision of Peace
James E. Jennings

9. Voices in the Wilderness
Kathy Kelly

10. The Quiet Revolution
Jim Merkel

11. Becoming a Counterterrorist
Ed Kinane

12. Blind to Empire
Nick Mottern

13. Initiation toward Spiritual Activism: Knowing, Calling, and Hope
Rev. Felicia Parazaider

14. No Justice, No Peace
Bill Quigley

15. How I Became a Peace Activist
David Swanson

16. Cultivating Peace
Ann Wright

17. Peacemakers: Apostates of the U. S. National Religion
Chris J. Antal

Conclusion
Steve Breyman, John W. Amidon, and Maureen Baillargeon Aumand

Acknowledgments
Appendix A
Appendix B
Contributors
Index

Inspiring collection narrating how peace activists found their calling and why the world still needs peace activism.

Description

Since the late 1990s the annual Kateri Tekakwitha Interfaith Peace Conference in upstate New York has grown to become the region's premier peace conference. Bending the Arc provides a history of the conference and brings together the inspiring, personal stories from such well-known participants as Medea Benjamin, Blase Bonpane, Kathy Kelly, Bill Quigley, David Swanson, and Ann Wright, among others. Drawing from diverse philosophical and spiritual traditions, contributors share their experiences of working for peace and justice and discuss the obstacles to both. They address a wide range of contemporary problems, including the war on terror, killer drones, the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, mass surveillance, the human cost of war, political-economic impediments to peace, violent extremism, the role of women in peace-building, and the continued threat of nuclear weapons. With its stories of how peace activists found their calling and its exploration of why the world still needs peace activism, the book offers a vision rooted in human community and hope for the future.

Steve Breyman is Associate Professor Emeritus of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the author of Why Movements Matter: The West German Peace Movement and US Arms Control Policy, also published by SUNY Press. John W. Amidon founded the Kateri Tekakwitha Interfaith Peace Conference and is a member of Veterans For Peace. Maureen Baillargeon Aumand is a retired public school English teacher and librarian. She is an active member of Women Against War and cofacilitator of the Kateri Peace Conference.

Reviews

"The book provides a fascinating look into the motivations and visions of contemporary peace activists. " — CHOICE

"This collection of activist voices is enjoyable, interesting, and moving to read, and it will help readers understand why and how people actually get involved with peace work. " — Jason Del Gandio, coeditor of Educating for Action: Strategies to Ignite Social Justice