Introduction: Johan Galtung—His Work and How It Stands Up over Time

Abstract In this special issue, an international group of scholars takes stock of the contributions made to the study of war and peace by Johan Galtung, a highly cited and controversial scholar, public intellectual, and institution builder. Some of the authors assess his conceptual contributions, while others evaluate the continued empirical validity of his ideas. His articles on international economic sanctions and the structure of imperialism are examples of theoretical and empirical contributions that were received with enthusiasm in the peace research community, while conceptual innovations like “structural violence” and ‘‘cultural violence’’ have found a much wider audience but a declining relevance to the mainstream of peace studies. While the special issue primarily focuses on his intellectual contributions, some articles also discuss Galtung’s arrogance and his flirtation with conspiracy theories, facets of his life that may have harmed his intellectual legacy.