The North East Institute of Social Sciences and Research (NEISSR) launched ‘Rising Beyond Conflict: Peace and Development in Action’ on September 28, a significant academic publication reflecting the Institute’s commitment to scholarship, social responsibility, peacebuilding and community transformation. The publication brings together perspectives that underscore the vital interrelationship between peace, reconciliation, social justice and sustainable development.
Presenting the publication, Dr Fr CP Anto, Principal, NEISSR, described the volume as a timely and meaningful contribution that reflects the academic vision, social commitment and peacebuilding mission of the Institute. He emphasised that for an academic institution, publication is not merely an academic exercise, but an important expression of scholarship, intellectual responsibility and institutional identity.
Dr Anto highlighted the vital role of academic publications in creating and sustaining knowledge.
While teaching transmits knowledge and research generates new knowledge, publication enables knowledge to reach the wider academic and social community. He observed that scholarly publications preserve experience, stimulate critical thinking, contribute to public discourse and create an enduring intellectual legacy for future generations.
Speaking in the context of the North Eastern region of India, Dr Anto emphasized the significance of engaging with questions of peace, reconciliation, social justice and development.
He noted that the region, while endowed with extraordinary cultural diversity, indigenous traditions and rich community life, has also experienced complex social realities and histories of conflict. Consequently, discussions on peace and development extend beyond academic discourse and remain closely connected with the lived realities of communities.
Reflecting on the title of the publication, ‘Rising Beyond Conflict’, Dr Anto emphasised its message of hope and transformation. He noted that although conflict may constitute part of social reality, it need not determine the future of communities and societies. The journey beyond conflict, he stressed, requires resilience, reconciliation and transformation.
He further emphasised that peace should not be understood merely as the absence of violence.
Rather, peace must involve the creation of relationships and communities founded on dignity, justice, dialogue, inclusion and mutual respect.
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The Principal also highlighted the strong connection between the publication and the institutional identity of NEISSR. As an institution committed to social work education, peace and conflict transformation, research and community engagement, NEISSR seeks to prepare professionals who not only understand social problems but also become agents of positive social transformation. In this regard, the publication represents an effort to connect scholarship with experience and knowledge with action.
Another significant dimension highlighted was the relationship between peace and development.
Dr Anto observed that sustainable development cannot flourish where communities experience exclusion, injustice and persistent conflict. At the same time, sustainable peace requires opportunities, participation, education, social justice and inclusive development. The integration of these dimensions, he noted, makes the publication relevant to social workers, educators, researchers, community leaders and peace practitioners.
Dr Anto extended his congratulations to the editors, Dr Lily Sangpui, Dr CP Anto and Rev Fr GL Khing, and to all the contributors for their valuable academic contributions. He acknowledged their collective work as an example of the importance of interdisciplinary scholarship and socially engaged research.
Concluding his message, Dr Anto expressed the hope that the publication would inspire readers to move from conflict to dialogue, from division to reconciliation, and from knowledge to action.
He further expressed the hope that the book would encourage readers to look beyond the immediate realities of conflict and envision communities where peace, dignity and development become shared possibilities.
The publication, therefore, stands as a reflection of NEISSR’s continuing commitment to academic scholarship that engages with society and contributes to the pursuit of peaceful, just and inclusive communities.
