In Memoriam, Dr. Elise Boulding, 1920 - 2010.
Born Elise Marie Biorn-Hansen in Norway, Elise Boulding's life long commitment to the resolution of conflict stemmed from early experiences of war and peace. Although her family emigrated to the United States when Elise was three years old, her home-sick mother repeated stories that conceptualized Norway as a safe haven. Elise shared her mother's nostalgia until 1940, when this vision was shattered by the Nazi invasion of their homeland. “And that was when I realized that there was no safe place on earth,” she said, “and I knew that I had found my life’s mission.”
Elise was brought up in a non-practicing Protestant family but was introduced to Quakerism by college friends, through which she embraced pacifism and met her future husband Kenneth Boulding (1910-1993). Elise and Kenneth became instrumental in the development of the field of Conflict Resolution. Upon gaining her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan, Elise and Kenneth, were invited to become Scholars in Residence at Dartmouth College. At Dartmouth, Elise chaired the Sociology department and developed the nations first Peace Studies program.
Outside of academia Elise pursued what she hoped would lead to the creation of a global civic culture, whereby the international community would not simply be made up of states but defined by a global community of human beings. Elise strove to build up what we now commonly describe as civil society; chairing the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; creating the International Peace Research Association; and promoting environmentalism and respect for indigenous cultures.
Elise worked tirelessly to promote peace and social justice as an academic and an individual, writing over 14 books, numerous articles and pamphlets, and receiving many lifetime achievement awards. In recognition of this contribution the American Friends Service Committee nominated her for the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize.