My dear friend over 50 years and one of my two peace research mentors died this morning. He was 93. He was, beyond any doubt, one of the greatest and most innovative social scientists of our time and one of the early pioneers of the academic field of peace and conflict research.
He was a controversial intellectual to some extent – the envy, of course, by others – but kept true to his Gandhian-inspired nonviolent values where many succumbed to ‘security’ with weapons.
He was also a TFF Associate since 1986 and we remained in contact – last just a few days ago.
You’ll find hundreds of articles by his hand on TFF’s present and earlier archive sites.
I smile when I think of the countless hours we spent together exploring the world and coming up with new ideas.
I owe him more than words can tell.
Please do not write RIP (Rest in Peace). Peace is not about death, silence, decay, or extinction. It is about conviviality, joy, development, visions, creativity, etc. Johan embodied it all. Thanks!
Above is one of many portraits I took of him.
I’ll write more at some point in the future.
A couple of links about and with Johan: