Metta Spencer's Page

What motivated you (or your organization) to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?

Moral revulsion, primarily. I've been an activist since Vietnam War days, especially since the nuclear disarmament campaign of the 1980s.

Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself or the work of your organization (no more than 3 paragraphs)

I was studying sociology at Berkeley and working at Harvard and Berkeley during the Vietnam War. In 1971 I joined the sociology faculty at University of Toronto, where I worked until retiring in 1997. During the nuclear disarmament campaign of the 1980s I became engaged in Science for Peace and Pugwash and organized a program in peace and conflict studies at my campus (Mississauga), which I coordinated. In 1982 I started publishing Peace Magazine ( http://peacemagazine.org) and have edited it ever since. then.
My interest is in finding ways to influence popular culture toward peaceful solutions, so I do quite a lot of public awareness work. I believe that we are wasting the most powerful resource for changing culture -- television series dramas -- and published a book on the subject, "Two Aspirins and a Comedy: How Television Can Enhance Health and Society.”
Now I am working on a book about the influence of the international peace movement on Soviet and Russian policies regarding peace and democracy from 1982 to 2009. I am also chairing a committee to produce a major public forum on nuclear weapons in Toronto late in 2009.

Please list the countries and/or regions in which you (or your organization) have direct and significant expertise

Russia and Eastern Europe, especially during the 1980s and early 1990s.

What is your current country of residence (or location of your organization)?

Canada

What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?

Emeritus professor of sociology, U. of Toronto. Political sociology and peace studies..

What is your personal or organizational website?

http://metta.spencer.name

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://www.peacemagazine.org

What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)

http://metta-spencer.blogspot.com

Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise (or the primary sectoral areas of your organization) ?

Civil Society, Democratization, Security

Which are your primary skills areas(or the primary skill areas of your organization)?

Communication, Research

What are some of your current areas of research (if any)?

Beginning in 1982 I have conducted hundreds of interviews of participants in the East-West peace dialogues that influenced Soviet/Russian policies regarding nuclear weapons and democratization.

If appropriate feel free to list several of your (or your organization's) publications

• Editor, Peace Magazine. (http://www.peacemagazine.org)
• Two Aspirins and a Comedy (Boulder: Paradigm Press, 2006) See website: http://twoaspirinsandacomedy.com
( I maintain a blog, http://metta-spencer.blogspot.com
• My personal web page show CV with hotlinks to many articles: http://www.metta.spencer.name