Patricia Shields Knihy

This book explores the life and works of Jane Addams, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1931) and a leader in the international women's peace movement. Notably, she organized a groundbreaking international conference of women at The Hague during World War I and co-founded the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom. As a prophetic peace theorist, her ideas were often dismissed by contemporaries who conflated her activism with undermining the war effort, further compounded by sexist perceptions that labeled her a “silly” old woman. This oversight of her role as a pioneering feminist peace theorist remains a contemporary issue. The book aims to recover and reintegrate Addams and her concept of “positive peace,” which is relevant to modern UN peacekeeping and community policing. Beginning her public life in the U.S. progressive era (1890-1920), Addams combined theory and action through her settlement work in Chicago's immigrant communities, which informed her innovative theories of democracy and peace. Through extensive public speaking, 11 books, and hundreds of articles, she advanced her ideas. While focusing on her contributions as a peace theorist and activist, the book also highlights how her diverse interests and feminine perspective led to significant advancements in American pragmatism, sociology, public administration, and social work, fields that continue to recognize her influence today.