Just and Unjust Peace

The book draws on religious traditions to construct a framework that it claims could be applied to ethnoreligious conflicts. The strength of the book, therefore, is its attempt to bridge the divide between the religious and the secular, with Philpott challenging perceptions that deep fissures exist between different religious practices by illustrating their congruence. This attempt to reconcile different religious values has inherent value as it expands the discourse on using alternative methods in transitional justice. * Ambika Satkunanathan, International Journal of Transitional Justice *
Hence ^iJust and Unjust Peace^r stands apart from most other works discussing religion in relation to peacebuilding, be this in terms of belief, through organised communities or the exercise of leadership. ... It is to Philpott's credit that he manages to develop a coherent and well structured argument ... As expected from works published by Oxford University Press, ^iJust and Unjust Peace^r is a high calibre publication in terms of both the analysis presented and writing style. Indeed Philpott's writing is one of the most appealing aspects with both style and rhetoric demonstrating the author's particularly measured voice. This rendered the book a real pleasure to read, akin to sitting down to a friendly yet intense, lengthy and insightful discussion. It is not something to skim through quickly but neither should it be. * M.K. Flynn, Peacebuilding, Routledge *
...a significant work. * Chris Purnell, Ethical Record *
a wonderful book ... this is [Philpott's] finest statement on religious peace-building to date. * John D. Brewer, Times Higher Education *
'What is justice in the wake of large-scale injustice?' Philpott asks. 'That is the central question of this book.' The answer for him is deeper and richer than that found in most works on the subject ... Just and Unjust Peace is a book of optimism, of hope, of insistently seeing the glass as half full. Humane but not fatuous or sappy, it is the exit ramp off Apocalypse Highway. One wants Philpott to be right, and wishes him the best in his peacemaking efforts. * The New Republic *
The value of Philpott's detailed mapping of concepts of reconciliation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam is not merely to expand the applicability of his ethic but also to add important layers of complexity to his account ... the power of Just and Unjust Peace is to illustrate that in the aftermath of large-scale political violence, "not entirely fair" may be the best that we can doand it is much preferable to all other alternatives. * Timothy Renick, Christian Century *