Introduction: Exploring Peace

The 2016 Presidential Theme for the International Studies Association’s Annual Conference was “Exploring Peace.” This Presidential Special Issue presents some of the innovative ways that scholars are “exploring peace” as more than just the absence of war. In this Introduction, we outline the central ideas behind the theme and show how the research in this Special Issue represents a new way of conceptualizing and studying peace. By expanding the definition of peace beyond the absence of war, the articles in this Issue provide insights into the ways that people do and do not experience peace in their quotidian lives. The works also illustrate how a broader conceptualization of peace can contribute to both IR scholarship and practice.