Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Law and Peace

Editors

Louise Mallinder, Rachel Killean, Lauren Dempster (Editors)

ISBN: 9781035310630

Published: September 2026

Format: Hardcover

Language: English

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited

Availability: Dispatched by the supplier in 4 to 6 days.

Description

This pioneering Concise Encyclopedia analyses theoretical insights and global practice relating to the intersection between law and peace. It brings together over 140 international scholars and expert practitioners to explore the concepts, theories, actors, bodies of law and institutions within this essential area of scholarship.

Entries examine how law informs peace negotiation and mediation; the legal status of peace agreements; critical approaches to peacemaking drawn from indigenous, feminist, queer, environmental and TWAIL perspectives; legal protections for negotiators and mediators; the work of international and regional courts and customary approaches to dispute resolution; and how law can inform contested issues such as accountability, detainees, institutional reform and governance.

Key Features

• Contains over 130 entries
• Provides crucial reference points for further reading
• Evaluates the connections between topics in an accessible short form
• Presents interdisciplinary perspectives from criminology, anthropology, international relations, history and peace and conflict studies

Coverage

Covers a wide range of international law regimes, as well as elements of domestic and customary law, to show how law can foster or safeguard peace. Entries range from peace negotiations and mediation, amnesty, transitional justice, reparations and the legal status of peace agreements, to international humanitarian law, international criminal tribunals, the UN Security Council, regional organisations, sanctions, disarmament, environmental peacebuilding, digital peace and cybersecurity, and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The volume also highlights gaps in the scholarship and emerging approaches and practices.

About the Authors

The volume is edited by Louise Mallinder, Rachel Killean and Lauren Dempster, with entries contributed by over 140 international scholars and expert practitioners.

Table of Contents

135 alphabetical entries, from Accountability, African Union, Aggression and crimes against peace, Amnesty, Antarctica and the Arctic, through Ceasefire, Conflict resolution, Customary law, Decolonizing peacebuilding, Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, Environmental peacebuilding, Feminist peacebuilding, Human rights, International Court of Justice, International humanitarian law, Jus post bellum, Lawfare, Lex pacificatoria, Peace mediation, Peace negotiations, Peace versus justice, Reconciliation, Responsibility to protect, Restorative justice, Sanctions, Security sector reform, Transitional justice, Truth recovery, TWAIL perspectives, UN Charter, UN Security Council and War crimes, to the World Bank.

Why buy this book?

It is a single reference that connects law, peacemaking and conflict resolution across regimes and disciplines. It is a vital resource for scholars and students of law, international relations, and peace and conflict studies, and is also useful for legal practitioners, policymakers, mediators, negotiators and NGOs.

Keywords

law and peace, peace agreements, peace mediation, transitional justice, international humanitarian law, peacebuilding, conflict resolution, amnesty, reparations, UN Security Council, international criminal justice, TWAIL

Target Audience

Academics, Law Students, Lawyers, policymakers, NGOs and Civil Society Organizations

Genre

International Law, International Relations, Human Rights

Q&A

What does the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Law and Peace cover?
It analyses the intersection of law and peace through over 130 entries on concepts, theories, actors, bodies of law and institutions, from peace negotiation and mediation to transitional justice and international humanitarian law.

What is the legal status of peace agreements and how is it addressed?
The encyclopedia includes entries on the legal status of a peace agreement, legal security and peace agreements, legal pluralism in peace agreements, and third-party witnesses and guarantors.

Does it include critical and alternative approaches to peacemaking?
Yes. Entries draw on indigenous, feminist, queer, environmental and TWAIL perspectives, as well as alternative non-Western approaches to peacemaking and peacebuilding.

Which international institutions and courts are discussed?
Entries cover the UN Security Council and General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, international criminal tribunals, the European and Inter-American human rights courts, the African Union, the World Bank and regional organisations.

Who should use this encyclopedia?
Scholars and students of law, international relations, and peace and conflict studies, as well as legal practitioners, policymakers, mediators, negotiators and NGOs.

Where can I buy the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Law and Peace?
You can order it from CLNZ Books at clnzbooks.com. Pay by card or PayPal, or request a quote for institutional invoicing.

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